The Chronicles of Reed & Kirza
by CaptainStarlord
Summary: A series of non-chronological one-shots following the lives of Naomi Reed and Doctor Rila Kirza during their service on the USS Enterprise. Expect tales of adventure, romance, comedy, drama and heartbreak. Contains Jim/Naomi and Bones/Rila.
1. Arriving on the Enterprise

_Hey everyone. New series of one-shots here following the lives of my own character, Naomi Reed and that of my friend's character, Rila Kirza. Each one-shot will be a separate chapter (unless one is split into multiple chapters) and none of them (unless specified) will follow each other chronological as I will be showcasing them at different points in their lives. All one-shots however are set after the events of Into Darkness. _

_Here's my first one, which is Naomi's arrival on the Enterprise. Enjoy! And all reviews are welcome- positive or negative, just be polite about it! Thanks :) _

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><p><span><strong>Arriving on the Enterprise<strong>

"How long till she wakes up?"

"She received a good blow to the head James, so like I told you yesterday she'll wake up when she's ready!"

"Alright, just let me know when she wakes up. I'd like to speak to her."

Naomi Reed felt her subconscious begin to groggily awaken. Her eyes were still glued together tight leaving her in uncertain darkness. She made out the conversation but she didn't recognise the voices. Where was she? She flicked back to her file of memories, as she tried to put the pieces together.

She had landed on a baron planet with her sister-in-arms and android, Artemis. They hadn't had to worry about any hassle from any natives. No settlements were present here due to the unpredictable seismic activity. Their mission was simple. Enter the caves, retrieve an artefact then get out and exchange it for their payment. But things hadn't gone so smoothly.

Seismic activity in the caves had started up sooner than anticipated. Artemis had insisted that they leave immediately, any one of the rumblings could cause the cave to collapsed in on them. However Naomi, being her stubborn self, had refused. She had argued that they were already so close to getting the artefact that they couldn't turn back now. So they pressed on despite Artemis' protests. Naomi was determined, Artemis always had to give her that. The rumblings continued but Naomi still refused to leave as they got closer and closer to the artefact. This was the last object she needed, then she could claim her money and be gone on her way home to her mother. That very thought pushed her on as she felt her body tense and scream in silent fear every time a rumble echoed through the cave.

They had been so close.

The next rumble echoed through the cave and Naomi had no chance to move. The last thing she remembered was the ceiling falling down on her and Artemis crying out "Ms Naomi!"...

'I'm guessing that android of hers didn't give you anything?'

Naomi felt her body tense as her stomach knotted in fear. They had Artemis? It was becoming clear to her now that there was a stronger possibility that the two of them had been captured. They must have found her unconscious body and Artemis in the caves, taking them on board... whoever 'they' were.

"Not much, she just simply stated they were exploring the planet and her deep concern for her friend."

Naomi kept her eyes shut tight as she listened. She felt herself inwardly smile slightly, Artemis hadn't told them everything... good, that was very good. But she noticed the doubt in the man's voice (she presumed by 'his' tone of voice), Artemis may have lied but she wasn't very good at it and he had picked up on it.

"You don't believe her?" That was defiantly another man's voice that answered.

"No... I thought that maybe our 'guest' here might be able to clarify the details."

"Well it is known for criminals to drift on the Federation borders out here..." Naomi noticed the thick british accent in the woman's voice that added to the conversation. She heard it before when she had addressed one of the men as 'James'.

"What you think she's a criminal?"

"I'm just suggesting a possibility, it's something we should at least consider..."

Naomi gulped, she was in really trouble now. These weren't other criminals who had beef with her, but a crew of a Federation starship. If they learned the truth of herself and Artemis, they would never be able to return home and Naomi would fail her mother. She couldn't let that happen!

Waiting patiently, Naomi quickly and impulsively planned her next move. She cracked her eyes open ever so slightly to get her bearings. The room was bright and caused her to have to slip into the safety of the darkness a few times before her eyes adjusted. She spotted the group of three stood a little away from her, she didn't focus on them long and only caught glimpses of gold and blue. Her gaze turned to her right side, where something shiny and sharp caught her eye.

Perfect!

She then waited once more, closing her eyes as one of the three began to approach her.

Doctor Leonard McCoy stood with his arms folded as he listened to his friends discuss their new guest. Captain James T Kirk was adamant to give their guest a chance to explain herself when she awoke, even if they was a possibility she maybe a criminal. That didn't surprise McCoy in the slightest. Kirk had been the one to rush her to the medical bay after they picked her up along with her android, who had sent out a distress signal to the Enterprise. He clearly taken a immediate fondness for her. After all she was a pretty girl who needed help, how could Kirk refuse?

Doctor Rila Kirza, one of his best medical staff members that he would gladly pass on the Chief Medical Officer title onto if the occasion ever rose, wasn't so kind. She had observed their new arrival with uncertainty, after all this woman was a stranger to her. A stranger she didn't particularly trust. She had assisted McCoy in treating her as instructed, after all a Doctor couldn't refuse a patient. But there was something about their guest that caused her to gaze at her with cold blue eyes.

McCoy mumbled something about checking their guest's vitals, before he left Kirza and Kirk to continue their discussion that was becoming more and more heated.

He approached their 'guest', who was still soundlessly unconscious. In the few days she had been on the ship, he hadn't even learnt her name. Even her android had chosen to remain anonymous. There had been something in that android eyes that had told him that she didn't trust him. She had even remained as himself and Kirza had worked on treating her injuries. Almost like she thought they were going to try something, that they weren't going to save her friend. McCoy had to admit that hurt a little. Whether this girl was a criminal or not, he wouldn't have let her die and even though she'd never admit it, Kirza wouldn't have either.

He shook his head, shaking off the thoughts as he pulled out his scanner to check her vitals. He frowned, that was odd... why was her heart rate beginning to increase? Before he had chance to respond a fist collided with his nose. He staggered back and swore as he clutched his nose. Before he had chance to recover he felt an arm loop around his shoulder and something sharp brush against his throat.

Kirk and Kirza turned abruptly to the sound of McCoy in pain, Kirza's long locks of brown hair swishing round like a curtain caught in the wind. Their guest was a awake and angry. Her short brown hair was plastered to her head with dried blood and sweat. Her dark eyes were locked with their shocked gazes. She held McCoy firmly by the shoulder with one hand, in her other hand was a small scalp that she held alarming close to his throat.

Kirk raised his hands up, showing her he wasn't hiding anything as he tried his luck approaching her slowly.

She snapped immediately at that, "Don't come any closer or i'll gut him like a fish!"

"Okay, okay," Kirk stopped where he was, hands still raised in front of him, "Let's just calm down."

"I'll calm down when I get some answers!" she retorted.

"I told you she was a criminal..." Kirza murmured under her breath.

Kirk shot her a look as if to say 'Really? Now?'

"Firstly, where they hell am I?" their guest demanded.

"You're in the Medbay on board the USS Enterprise," Kirk answered her, "I brought you on board after your android sent out a distress signal from the planet you were visiting. Doctor Kirza here and Doctor McCoy, who you're currently using as a hostage, fixed you up when you arrived and have been keeping an eye on you ever since."

Some of her anger seemed to disappear after Kirk told her that, good at least she was grateful.

"But Artemis...where is she? What did you do with her?"she still held a firm grip on McCoy but the knife had dropped slightly from his throat.

"We didn't do anything with her, we just simply provided her with some guest quarters to stay in and recharge while you recovered," Kirk replied.

Naomi felt herself gazing into this unfamiliar man's eyes and trusting him entirely. She couldn't explain it but somehow he'd managed to rip her walls down and make her trust him. She felt her stomach drop in guilt. Here she was threatening the very people who had saved her life.

Still she couldn't be too careful, "Are telling me the truth? Is Artemis truly safe?"

"You have my word that she is safe," the man answered as he smiled slightly at her.

Naomi felt all her anger disappear as she dropped the scalp, it clattered to the floor. McCoy took his chance and slipped out of her loosened grip to stand next to the man.

"You alright?" the man asked him.

"Yeah fine.." McCoy mumbled as he held his nose and gazed at Naomi with uncertainty and alarm.

Naomi gazed at the men in front of her, unsure what to say to them. That's when she felt a sharp pain in her neck.

"Ahh," she gripped her neck and turned to see a blurred image of Doctor Kirza, a sedative gripped tightly in her grasp.

"What..." Naomi trailed off as her world spun before she hit the floor, falling into darkness again.

"Rila! What the hell?" Kirk exclaimed as he walked over to the girl lifting her up and settling her down back into her bed, "Was that really necessary?"

"Of course, it was necessary. She turned violent on medical staff," she gazed at McCoy who was still clutching his bleeding nose.

"I'd just talked her down, there was no need," Kirk shot her a small glare.

"Glare at me all you want James, it won't change anything. She became a danger, so i took a precaution. Now if you don't mind I think I better attend to Doctor McCoy." With that Doctor Rila Kirza strode away to McCoy to treat his bleeding nose.

Kirk shook his head at her as she walked away. He sighed as he gazed down at their unconscious guest, who was once again sleeping soundlessly. Who was this girl?


	2. Same Ship, Different Day

_Hey everyone, here is my second one-shot with my OC Naomi Reed and that of my friend's, Rila Kirza. I've tried my best with this one but I'll apologise if it seems a bit rushed and the grammar's off as I wrote this at a late hour. _

_This one-shot is a typical day on the Enterprise with Naomi Reed up to her usual experimental inventions in her lab, and takes places some significant time after the previous one-shot as both Jim/Naomi and Bones/Rila are established as couples at this point. Enjoy! And feel free to review, I accept positive and constructive comments, just be polite about it! Thanks :) _

**Same Ship, Different Day**

The light of the small welder sparked off the darkness of her goggles as Naomi Reed furrowed her brow in intense concentration. Her tongue stuck out slightly that if a certain Jim Kirk was present he would have teased her about.

When she was satisfied that the components would hold, she set the small welder down and slipped off her goggles. She smiled down happily at her work. She'd be drawing up plans the very day before to add a slightly hostile feature to terminal panels, almost like a physical firewall that would send out a small electric shock to those attempting to hack into a panel. Naomi had to admit the project wouldn't be easy; after all she had to make sure the level of electricity was high enough to cause a small electric shock but not too strong that it would damage the panel itself.

Her finger tips danced over the Data Pad that was linked up to the makeshift panel she had created for the initial tests. Once she had finished entering the sequence ready to go, she opened up a new video log on her bench terminal.

"Test One of Project marked Shock, proceeding with test in 3…" Naomi began her recording before beginning a countdown to the test, "2… 1!"

Naomi pressed down on the Data Pad as the fake hack began on the make shift panel. The panel spark ever so slightly before hissing out.

Naomi furrowed her brow, was that it? She stepped closer to the bench peering down at the makeshift panel.

"Well that was a failure of an attempt…." she mumbled before beginning to turn away. That's when something caught her eye.

Naomi stared down at the makeshift panel as it began to spark at just the exact intensity Naomi had been aiming for. The grin had already begun spreading on her face, "Naomi Reed, you are officially a genius."

She had spoken too soon. The panel suddenly leapt into a buddle of concerning large sparks before the panel itself broke apart in an explosive fashion. Naomi felt herself thrown backward hitting the wall behind her as her lab became clouded in smoke.

Rila Kirza flicked a strand of hair out of her face as she reviewed the finished reports sat in front of her. She had to admit, it had been a quiet few days and she was actually enjoying not being rushed off her feet due to Kirk's latest landing party exploits. She had relished in all the spare time she had, it gave her chance to conduct a few chemical experiments. But somehow she felt a little well… bored. She had all this free time on her hands and despite trying to fill it with as many activities as she possibly could, she still felt a little unenthusiastic. At least when Leonard was there she could pass the time with some pleasant conversation. However due to 'Jim going stir crazy cause he's got no dashing adventure to go off on' (as Leonard put it), Rila had often not had the chance to enjoy her fellow Doctor's company as the young captain often called him up to the bridge.

'_Damn it James…. You could call Reed or something if you're that bored! Quit stealing the handsome man…' _Rila thought grumpily as she folded her arms across her chest.

Rila gazed down at the reports, reading over them for about the tenth (or was it eleventh?) time. She was then taken by surprise as she felt her desk rattled violently for a few moments then it stopped. Rila froze, were they under attack? Then she looked at her terminal that was blinking an orange colour. She sighed heavily, Jim wasn't the only one who seemed to have the knack for rushing Rila off her feet. Pulling herself up off her seat Rila marched over to the cupboards pulling out a medical kit before she left the confides of the Med bay. She sped along the corridor, slowing down only when she spotted the familiar arched brow of her handsome Doctor.

"What the damn hell was that rattle?" Leonard McCoy questioned Rila, clearly sensing her walk of purpose.

Rila sighed, "Take a wild guess Leonard."

Leonard paused for moment pulling a confused expression then it clicked, "Reed."

Rila nodded.

Leonard rolled his eyes, "I swear the girl's gonna blow up the whole damn ship someday!"

Rila smirked slightly at that before she straight herself, "Right I better go check on her…."

"Right…" Leonard replied as he gazed down at her. Its times when he was stood directly beside her that he had to genuinely remember how short and small she really was. Honestly, he found it adorable. He hoped to have spent more time with her during the free-time they both had but no. Captain James Tiberius Kirk had to pull away him away because (very much like a child) he couldn't contain his sheer boredom. He had to admit he been tempted to slip him a sedative so the crew could gain a break from the bored captain, who seemed to badger everyone around him just to have something to do.

Rila let a small smile pass onto her lips as she nodded at him before continuing down the corridor.

"Er Rila?"

Rila turned back to him as he called after her, "Yes?"

"Seen as we both get off our shifts at the same time later, how about dinner?"

Rila felt a large grin spread across her face, "I'd like that very much Leonard."

Even Leonard smiled at that, "Good. Just try not to let Reed hold you up too long."

Rila nodded at that before she turned and continued walking.

Rila knocked on the door of Naomi's lab. Despite the girl insisting that Rila didn't have to be so formal, unless the door was locked, she still felt it necessary.

"Reed, it's me," Rila waited for a response. Not hearing a response Rila opened the door and was met with a cloud of smoke. Coughing, she waved her hand in front of her face as she entered.

"Reed?" Rila called out again as she eventually heard the ventilation systems kicking in as the smoke began to clear. She covered her mouth waiting for the smoke to clear. It was when it had finished clearing she noticed her friend.

Naomi Reed was slumped down on the wall opposite the work bench, her head was tilting downwards and her limbs were sprawled out in front of her. Rila glanced at the, still slightly smoking, work bench putting the pieces together.

"Oh Reed," Rila shook her head as she knelt down beside Naomi. Her eyes were closed and her face was covered in black soot.

"Reed, come on. Wake up," Rila gently prodded Naomi's face, the klutz had knocked herself out.

"Eugh," Naomi groaned in a half unconscious state as Rila continued to try to rouse her, "Get off…. I'm sleeping here Jim…"

"For starters I'm not James and you're not sleeping," Rila sassily replied to Naomi's dazed murmuring.

At that Naomi opened her wide, blinking a few times before looking up at Rila, "Rila. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why did you-" Rila stopped as she got a better look at Naomi's face, her eyes opened wide.

"What?" Naomi looked at her confused then she began to look panicked, "What is it? Is there something wrong with my face?"

Rila pointed at her right cheek, "You got a little something…"

"A little what?" Naomi asked as she gently drifted her fingers over her own cheek.

"A bit higher," Rila urged her.

Naomi continued to drift her fingers around until they stopped on something bumpy and strangely metallic. Taking a hold of it Naomi yanked it from her cheek before Rila could protest.

She then felt the warm, hot, sticky blood begin to pour down her cheek and grimaced.

Rila furrowed her brow in annoyance, "Well done Reed, you've just made the problem worse."

Naomi shrugged her shoulders and smiled slightly, "Woops?"

Rila shook her head and mumbled very much in McCoy fashion, "Unbelievable."

Naomi fell silent as Rila opened up the small medical kit in her hand and set to work.

Naomi couldn't help but gently poke the stitches in her cheek. If Rila was present she probably would have smacked her hand away and muttered at her angrily. Rila had been best pleased when she left Naomi's lab, although sometimes Naomi found it hard to tell when she actually she was pleased with her. Granted Naomi had a knack for well… getting in a few accidents. More than often Rila Kirza was the one to patch her up.

Naomi continued to gently poke at her cheek, the numbness was still present from Rila's treatment so she couldn't quite feel the pokes. Her fingers bumped over the stitches as she continued to walk down the corridor. She was preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't look properly where she was going that she came to a sudden painful stop.

"Ouch," Jim Kirk grumbled as he bumped into her, true be told he had been pre-occupied with his own thoughts to notice her.

"Oh," Naomi gasped slightly as she gazed up at Jim, "Sorry Jim, I was a little distracted…."

"I noticed," Jim smirked then he gazed at her cheek slightly concerned, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Long story…. which I could tell if you fancy grabbing some dinner?" Naomi ended with a wink up at the Captain.

Jim smirked widely as he placed a hand to his stomach, "Well now that you mention it…"

Naomi giggled, "So is it a date then?"

Jim chuckled, "Possibly."

"Good," Naomi cried happily as she linked her arm with his, before the two of them headed off down the corridor together.


	3. First Away Mission Part 1

_Hi guys. Thanks for the favourites/follows so far, means a lot! Sorry this has taken some time, but rest assured I'm sure it was worth the wait. I was originally going to do this as one one-shot but then it began to get quite long so I thought it best to split it into two parts. (You may hate me for the way I've split it ;) )_

_This one-shot takes place not long after Naomi's is given a place on board the Enterprise as an inventor. This one in particular will be Naomi's first official away mission with the crew of the Enterprise. Set some time before Jim/Naomi and Bones/Rila become established/confirmed couples. Also there might be a little more focus on Naomi rather than Rila in these two chapters (tried to keep it as even as I could). _

_Oh word of warning, there's going to be some injuries and a bit of bloody violence in this and the next one. You have been warned! _

_Enjoy! And Part 2 should be finished shortly! _

**First Away Mission Part 1**

To say that Naomi Reed felt nervous was a bit of an understatement. Her stomach was doing backflips as she shuffled around, gently tugging at the straps pulling her into the seat. She was seated in the back of a Starfleet standard issue shuttle in what would be her first away mission with the crew. She had been roped into the mission by the Captain himself much to Naomi's surprise. She had been a little uneasy around most the crew. A few had tried helping her settle into life aboard the ship (namely Uhura) but there was still that initial unease. Naomi didn't really blame them. She was still a stranger to them, a stranger with a criminal history.

So when Kirk had approached Naomi with this offer to contribute to something important, she had to admit she was shocked and flattered. Kirk had treated her with kindness since her arrival; he had been the one who had helped clear things with Starfleet so she wouldn't be tossed into jail like every other criminal. Instead she was allowed to remain aboard the Enterprise as long as she complied with Starfleet and sent all of her latest inventions to them for creation. Naomi may have been a little uneasy about sharing said inventions with Starfleet; she wasn't entirely sure what they would do with them (after all she had heard how Scotty's transwarp beaming equation had fallen into Khan's hands). Nevertheless Naomi had agreed and began shaping a place for herself among the Enterprise's crew.

Naomi took a quiet deep breath. This was her chance to prove herself to her crewmates. A chance to prove to them that they could trust and rely upon her. Forcing fierce determination into her gaze, Naomi straightened herself in her seat. Granted the mission wasn't anything grand and daring like some of Naomi's previous thieving exploits, but she was determined to give it her all.

Their mission was quite simple, or so Naomi was led to believe. A ship had hailed the Enterprise requesting immediate assistance, especially in terms of both engineering and medical assistance. According to the man who had hailed them, their ship had crash landed on the baron planet below. They didn't have the necessary materials or staff to repair their ship and treat their injured. Naomi couldn't help but feel a little sceptical. There was a possibility that this was some kind of trap, luring them to the planet below to be ambushed. She hadn't been the only one, so it wasn't much of a surprise that their away team included two of the meanest and toughest looking security officers Naomi had ever set her eyes upon. They reminded her of some bouncers of Earth night clubs. As well as that, everyone on the away team was each equipped with a Starfleet standard issue phaser. It may not have been the first gun she had handled but she still needed a quick instruction from Kirk as to how to fire one. He had happily shown her but reassured her that she wouldn't need to fire it. If only Naomi felt so confident.

Kirk seemed more certain that the distressed crew man had been telling them the truth. This firm belief was reflected in the other crew members he had selected for the away mission. Both Dr McCoy (much to his dismay) and Dr Kirza had been picked from the medical staff. Naomi wasn't surprised. They were highly skilled doctors and two of Kirk's closest friends. She often had to smirk when McCoy recounted some of the various exploits that Kirk had dragged him along on. She herself had attempted to befriend the doctors; after all very much like the Captain, Naomi found herself in the Med-bay on more than a few occasions. What could she say, she was a bit of a klutz even she admitted that. Despite accepting that she'd be seeing the Doctors on more than one occasion, Naomi had other reasons for wanting to befriend them. She still felt a pang of guilt after what she did when she first woke up on the Enterprise. It hadn't been her intention to alienate or harm them in any way. She had been afraid, mistrusting like she always had been around new people. She partly hated herself for it. Although given how many times she had placed her trust in the wrong people, could she really be to blame? Naomi seemed to think so. She was determined to make amends for her past violent threat to McCoy by sheer kindness and attempts at befriending both him and Kirza (after all she hadn't been exactly pleased with Naomi's violent outburst on the man). So far it was working well, she felt like she was making progress at least. McCoy didn't watch her like an eagle when she was in the same room any more. He was still wary of her that much was clear, but at least now the two of them could exchange in civil conversation. Kirza on the other hand still watched her with a cold, stern stare. Naomi was still working on cracking her. There was something about Kirza in particular that Naomi felt drawn to. Honestly, she liked the Doctor. She was sarcastic with a hint of realism and Naomi found herself generally smiling when she responded none too angrily to Kirk's attempts to wind up her. Naomi was determined to make a life-long friend out of her, maybe even a best friend. Either way she was sure this was a start of a beautiful friendship (if you wanted to put it poetically).

As well as the Doctors Kirk had brought along ship engineer Scotty (Naomi had taken to using the nickname everyone gave the Scotsman), Ship's Pilot Sulu and of course the infamous Commander Spock. Naomi had mainly been roped in to aid the Scotsman engineer. After all, despite her 'exploding' nature with inventions Naomi was highly skilled in Engineering, even Scotty had admitted that. She had clearly noticed that she had a firm friend in the Scotsman. On more than a few occasions Naomi had nipped to Engineering in search of her beloved android Artemis. She'd find Artemis often drifting after the Engineer and his dear little friend Keenser. It had instantly sparked conversations between them and mainly where Scotty became aware of Naomi's interest and skills in Engineering. The two were beginning to become friends. They got along well, more so when Naomi brought down his favourite sandwiches for lunch. She enjoyed his company and was honoured when she had been asked by him to assist the other engineers with certain ship criticises. It was nice to know he had that level of trust with her.

With regards to her other crew mates, Naomi was a still a like uncertain. Sulu had treated her with a kindness and she had no reason to suspect that they wouldn't eventually become friends. She had remembered one of her first lunch times in the cafeteria of the ship. She had collected her lunch and was unsure where to sit. The past few times Kirk had been there and she had simply joined him. But this one time was different. She felt exposed, like the new pupil at a school. Sulu had been the one to call her over, at least that first time. She had joined him, thankful to avoid the option of sitting alone. There she had been included in the conversation between himself, Chekov and Uhura. In that moment she felt a little more accepted on the ship, rather than viewed as the suspicious outsider.

Commander Spock on the other hand, well Naomi couldn't really say much. She had spoken to him a few times and seen him around, but otherwise she couldn't really say she truly knew the Commander. Naomi wondered if it was due to his often emotional-less shaped features that Naomi really couldn't get a read on him. She neither knew whether the Commander approved or disapproved of her place on board the ship. Maybe it was due to the care his Captain showed to the girl that he chose to not showcase any disagreement on Naomi's new found place on the Enterprise. Either way, Naomi couldn't really say she knew the Commander much at all. She hoped in time that would change.

Naomi was determined to turn her life around. She wanted this crew to trust her. But most of all, she wanted a family again.

"Earth to Reed," Rila Kirza cried out in slight annoyance as she waved her hand in front of Naomi's face.

Naomi was instantly brought out of her thoughts as she blinked startled slightly. She then turned to look at Rila.

"The shuttle's landed Reed, time to get off," Rila informed as she stood up from her seat beside Naomi. The rest of the away team were already making their way out the door, leaving Naomi and Rila lagging behind.

"Right," Naomi mumbled as she began to fumble with the straps keeping her in her seat. She could have sworn that hadn't been this hard to get on.

Rila furrowed her brow as she bent down beside her. "Here," she said as she unclipped Naomi straps so Naomi could throw them off easily.

"Thanks," Naomi replied blushing in slight embarrass at how easily Rila had undone her straps.

Rila stood up and gazed at Naomi frowning, even she was surprised by the question that escaped her lips, "Are you alright? You didn't say a single word on the flight down."

Naomi looked up at Rila also taken a back a bit by the question; she then shrugged "Just a little nervous I guess."

"Nervous? I thought you were used to dodgy scenarios and potential back stabbing drifters," Rila smirked slightly at her, amusement in her gaze.

Naomi felt herself smirk at that, "True but everyone still gets nervous right?"

Rila shrugged, her small smirk disappearing as she headed for the door after the others. She turned back to Naomi, "For the record everyone's nervous when they're stuck on an away mission with James."

With that, Rila disappeared leaving Naomi alone in the shuttle. Naomi felt herself smile slightly. It seemed she was finally making some kind of progress with the friendship she planned on building with Rila. Finding some new found confidence Naomi stood up and exited the shuttle.

Her feet skidded in the mud as Rila struggled to stay upright. The ground on the grassy hill bank (or mud pile as Naomi called it) was wet which made it ten times more slippery. She gritted her teeth as she continued her way up the steep hill. It was times like this that her short frame really didn't give her an advantage. Why oh why did the distressed ship have to be on top of this enormous hill? Okay maybe enormous was a bit of an exaggeration, but due to Rila's frustration at the slippery death trap it felt that way to her.

Naomi plodded along up the hill with only a few minor difficulties. While she was still lagging at the back with McCoy, Naomi was still making good progress. For once she was actually taking the advice from the Doctor to slow down and be careful. Kirk on the other hand, well he didn't really pay much attention as he continued on ahead at an impressive speed, Spock trailing not far behind at a more reserved pace.

Naomi let out a loud huff as she heaved herself up the next section of hill, stopping for a moment to catch her breath. Even she had to admit this hill was damn steep, and with the added mud problem was becoming a challenge to climb.

"You running out of steam there kid?" McCoy asked her as he pulled himself up beside her.

Naomi turned eyeing the doctor who was panting heavily himself. She smirked, "Are you?"

McCoy chuckled slightly and was about to reply when they heard a small yelp directly behind them. The two of them turned simultaneously to spot Rila who had failed to reach them and was about to slide dangerously all the way back down the steep hill bank. Before Rila could fall flat on her face both McCoy and Naomi reached out for her. They both successfully grabbed an arm each and pulled her up into a standing position between the two of them.

"Careful there Kirza," Naomi assured as she gently let go of Rila's arm.

McCoy furrowed his brow in worry, "Are you alright sweetheart?"

"Fine," Rila mumbled as she took her arm back from him and wiped her muddy knees.

McCoy arched an eyebrow recognising the all too familiar annoyance in her gaze, "You sure about that?"

Rila paused and let out a small sigh, "Its times like this I really hate being short."

McCoy and Naomi both had to suppress their smirks at that.

"Maybe we should stick together, help each other out on the climb," Naomi suggested as she gazed at the two of them, "Better than risking a slip to our deaths right?"

"For once that was a smart suggestion," Rila replied with amusement in her eyes.

"Hey!" Naomi tried to sound hurt, "I give plenty of smart suggestions!"

Rila chuckled, "Well this is the first I've heard of it."

Naomi playfully glared at Rila about to open her mouth again.

"Hey!" Kirk turned to call down to them, stopping in his tracks for a moment, "You three going to join us up here or are you going to carry on chit-chatting?"

McCoy furrowed his brow as he yelled back, "We're coming! We're coming!"

Once Kirk had turned around and was carrying on ahead again McCoy lowered his voice so only Naomi and Rila could hear him, "Impatient little pain in my ass."

Naomi and Rila chuckled under their breath before the three of them continued on their climb up the hill. They made sure to help each other out with support so no one slipped back down the muddy hill bank.

After what felt like expedition time the entire away team had arrived at the top of the hill bank. Naomi could feel the sense of relief radiating from everyone that they had all made it up the muddy death trap. Naomi caught her breath before gazing over at their intended destination.

The distressed crew member hadn't been kidding; there really was a crashed ship down here. The ship was no Enterprise but was still roughly the same size as the entire shuttle bay. There appeared to be no sign of life on board. All the lights were out, any typical sounds of a working engine were not present, and the entire ship cast an eerie silence.

"It would appear that they are indeed in need of assistance," Spock stated, breaking the cold silence.

"It certainly looks that way but we should still be on alert. We don't know what we'll find in there," Kirk added as he reached for his belt pulling out his phaser.

The away team nodded in response as they followed behind Kirk who had begun to approach the ship.

Naomi glanced around at the Doctors before she picked up her pace slightly to match in step beside Kirk. She didn't exactly feel comfortable raising her voice above normal level in the eerie silent atmosphere. "Did that guy say where we should meet him? I mean we can't exactly just stroll aboard the ship without an invitation," Naomi asked Kirk.

"Not exactly, he seemed a little rushed to lay out the specifics," Kirk replied as he came to halt. The away team stopped behind him. He turned back to the team, "Spock, Connell you're with me. Let's see if we can find this guy. Rest of you stay here, call us back if he shows."

"Yes Captain," Connell, the slimmer one of the two burly security officers, replied as he followed after his commanding officers.

The others were left standing there as they waited for the three to return.

"I don't like this," McCoy stated breaking the quiet.

"I don't think you're the only one," Rila added as she gazed at the uneasy amongst her crew mates.

"Surely he would have meet us out here, he certainly sounded desperate and impatience over the com link," Sulu said as he furrowed his brow.

Scotty pulled a puzzled expression as he gazed up at the ship, "That's not the only thing that's fishy here Mr Sulu."

Rila frowned, "How so Mr Scott?"

"Well until I get a look inside her, there's no clear sign indicating why she's like this. Aside from a few scratches on the hull she doesn't look particularly damaged from here," Scotty replied.

"So the ship didn't crash land here?" Sully, the other accompanying security officer, asked.

Scotty shook his head.

"So our caller lied," McCoy spoke the truth they were all thinking.

Naomi had begun not to pay much attention to her crew mates' discussion, their revelations had sent her nerves rattling through her body. Still she had moved away from them and began to walk closer to the ship side they were waiting beside. She slowly began walking down the length of the side, her eyes scanning over the scratches. It was odd, they all seemed to come in sets of threes. Naomi furrowed her brow as she walked down the side of the ship, her crew mates' voices beginning to fade into the distance. The ship curved in on itself causing Naomi to disappear from sight. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, "What the hell…"

She turned to face the reason for her sudden halt. A portion of the exterior had been ripped aside, leaving a gaping hole leading into the dark depths of the inside of the ship. But there was something off about how the damage had been caused. Considering the other minor damage to the exterior Naomi had examined, that was nothing to suggest that the ship had violently crash landed. There was only one logically option. The gaping hole had been caused after the ship had 'crashed'. Naomi shivered she didn't like this, she didn't like this one bit. She was about to turn and head back to her crew mates to reveal her discovery, when something caught her eye. Raising an eyebrow she turned back to the hole. Gripping the phaser in her belt tightly, Naomi began to make her way cautiously towards the gaping entrance. When she was close enough she opened her mouth to speak a feeble, "Hello?"

No answer. Naomi stepped closer, almost stood in the entrance the hole had created. Before she had chance to speak again a shadow came crashing towards her. She had no time to draw her phaser, instead she let out a high scream as the shadow crashed into her.

"Hello!" Kirk cried out irritably as he rasped his hand on a small entrance to the ship. It was a small hatch and was sealed tight. There was no indication of anyone trying to answer Kirk's cries any time soon.

"Captain that is your fifth attempt at raising attention to ourselves. If they did not hear you the first four times I doubt they will have heard you the fifth time," Spock stated simplistically. Kirk couldn't help but notice a hint of sarcasm in his First Officers tone.

Kirk furrowed his brow, "He's got to be here somewhere."

"Maybe we should try to find another entrance, sir?" Connell suggested, he was gripping his phaser in his hand tightly. He had been glancing around uneasily before he addressed his Captain.

Kirk nodded, "Sounds good to me. Lead the way Connell."

Connell gave Kirk a small acknowledgement, before he slowly began to take the lead. Kirk began to following after him.

Spock remained where he was as he addressed Kirk, "Captain I think you are forgetting that there is a high possibility that this might be a trap."

Kirk turned abruptly to face his First Officer. He opened his mouth to give back a sharp retort that he hadn't forgotten when something stopped him.

A high pitched scream reached his ears, chilling him to the bone.

Connell turned to Kirk, stammering out his words, "That was-"

Kirk felt the colour temporally fade from his face, "Reed."

Without a second thought Kirk took off sprinting in the direction of the scream. Spock and Connell exchanged glances before they took off after him.

Kirk could feel the butterflies fluttering around violently in his stomach as he sprinted to Naomi's location. He tried not to think about the potential scene he might stumble across. Instead he focussed on getting to her as quickly as possible.

He rounded the corner and skidded to a halt. He stopped in his tracks, eyes scanning the area for Naomi. He was suddenly alerted to her cries. She was lying on her back wreathing under the weight of a man. Each of her wrists was heavily grasped in the man's hands. The man didn't appear to be listening to her, actually he didn't appear to be moving at all.

"Get off me!" Naomi cried out in a mixture of anger and fear. She struggled to push him off her.

Kirk rushed over immediately with a "Hey!"

He took a hold of the man, beginning to pull him off Naomi. The man didn't fight against Kirk in away. He felt almost like a heavy puppet in Kirk's arms as he had to manually pry Naomi's wrists out his hands. When Naomi's hands were free Kirk pushed the man aside, causing him to land heavily on his back beside Naomi.

As soon as the weight had left her Naomi had pulled herself up into a sitting position and scrabbled away. Her body shaking uncontrollably as she watched the man with wide eyes.

"Are you-" Kirk began to question before his gaze fell on Naomi. His stomach dropped. Her face was spattered with blood, her shirt was also covered in patches of blood. Had this man done more damage to her than he realised?

"It's not her blood James, don't worry," the voice of Rila Kirza drifted behind him. He turned and looked around, how long had the rest of the away team been there?

He frowned confused before he turned back just as McCoy bent down beside the man. He still hadn't moved from where Kirk had pushed him down. It was when he gazed at the man properly that he understood why.

The man entire torso had been ripped into a bloody mess that even as he watched still oozed out blood. His skin was a deathly pale, his face frozen in horror. It came as no surprise when McCoy met his gaze and stated, "He's dead Jim."

The entire away team fell silent for a moment.

"What could inflict wounds like that?" Rila questioned to seemingly no one in particular as she walked over to McCoy.

"Hell if I know and I sure as hell don't plan to find out!" McCoy replied as he stood back up.

For once Kirk had to agree with McCoy, he certainly didn't fancy a face to face with the man's attacker. His gaze drifted over his team as they muttered to themselves and shot glances at the man. His gaze stopped when it fell on Naomi, who was still seated on the ground staring at the dead man.

He moved over to her and reached a hand down to her, "Here."

Naomi blinked a few times before she looked up at Kirk taking his hand, "Thanks."

He pulled her up beside him and gazed at her, the colour was starting to return her face but she still looked shaken.

"You okay?" he asked her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, gazing into her eyes directly.

Naomi met his gaze, "Yeah… yeah I'm okay." She drifted her gaze away from his and breathed a long deep breath she didn't realise she been holding.

When she meet his gaze again, she looked more relaxed and a small smile was present on her face. "I guess I owe you a thank you."

"No problem, just as long as you're alright," he smiled at her warmly.

Naomi looked away again, feeling her cheeks flush. Why did he have to smile like that? He always made her blush when he smiled at her like that.

"Captain," Sulu's voice pulled Kirk's attention away from Naomi. He gazed up at Sulu with a quizzical expression. Sulu was stood beside the body of the man gazing down at him.

"Is it just me or does our man here look familiar?" Sulu asked looking up to meeting his Captain's gaze.

Kirk strode over to stand beside Sulu gazing down at the man more closely. He stood there for a moment then a sudden realisation dawned on him.

"I guess we found our man after all," Kirk spoke after a long pause.

Everyone froze.

"But wait, we only received that message a couple of hours ago sir. How could it possibly be him?" Connell asked, almost for his own reassurance.

"Quite simple really, whatever attacked his crew came back to finish the job," Rila stated matter-of-factly.

Everyone fell silent once more.

Naomi was the one to break it again, "Whatever it was, they certainly managed to get themselves on board with ease."

She raised a hand to the gaping hole behind them. The crew turned to look at the hole, just noticing it for the first time. It was becoming clearer now that those scratches of three she found on the exterior, the gaping hole, and the man who had literally been ripped apart had all been caused by the same creature.

Kirk approached the hole, standing directly in front of it as he peered inside. "Defiantly big enough to walk through without much hassle," he mumbled under his breath.

McCoy felt his eyes widen in alarm, "Wait, you're not thinking of going in there are you?"

Kirk turned to face his Chief Medical Officer, "There might still be people on board that need our help. We came down to aid a distressed crew and that's what we're going to do."

"What if there's some of those creatures on board? You saw how easily they ripped through his flesh!" McCoy cried.

"The Doctor does have a point Captain, we don't know much about this species and how many are present on this planet. There is a possibility we may be under prepared," Spock added.

"So what, we regroup with the Enterprise, bring down a larger party?" Kirk frowned at the two of them, "That could take too long, and by that time we could be too late to save anyone on this ship."

"He has point," Naomi agreed with Kirk. Spock and McCoy turned harshly to look at her making Naomi feel the size of a pea.

Kirk sighed, drawing McCoy and Spock's attention back to him, "How about this? We'll have the Enterprise on standby if we run into any trouble?"

"That would be satisfactory," Spock nodded.

Kirk looked at McCoy whose brow was still furrowed.

McCoy let out a deep sigh before mumbling, "Fine. I guess that's the best option I'm gonna get out of you…."

Kirk smirked before turning back to the gaping hole leading into the depths of the ship. It was pitch black inside and looked rather foreboding.

"Here," Naomi said as she handed Kirk a small black spherical object. Kirk took the object from her with a frown.

Naomi spoke when she spotted his confusion, "It's a light. Just twist it." With that she reached down placing her hand on top of the sphere in his hand and gave it a twist.

The sphere instantly changed in a ball of pure light.

"It shouldn't run out either. It converts all kinds of gas matter into electrical energy," Naomi told him with a small twinkle in her eye.

Kirk gazed down at the object in amazement than back up at Naomi, "Did you make this?"

Naomi felt herself shift uneasily, "Yeah, I made a few. I thought they might come in handy."

"Wow! That's really impressive!" Kirk exclaimed as he grinned down at her.

Naomi smiled back at him with a "Thanks," before her face rose in temperature again.

Kirk then turned back to the hole with a look of determination as he led his crew into the shadowy depths.

McCoy didn't like this. Although when did he like any of the away missions Kirk dragged him on? It always seemed to end the same way. Them coming across some kind of danger and having to run for their lives (he was a doctor, not a track star!). His uneasy and worry about the outcome of the mission wasn't exactly eased, especially with Kirk's last plan. He had decided to split the away team up into two groups. His reasoning for this was to make the search of the ship quicker, so they didn't have to spend too long in potential danger. McCoy couldn't really fault that, but he had to admit there was a sense of security in numbers. Plus he wasn't exactly pleased with how Kirk had split the teams. The idea was to make sure both engineering and medical trained staff were present on each team. McCoy had been placed with Scotty, Sulu, Sully and Spock. While Kirk had taken Naomi, Rila and Connell with him. While he had made no verbal complaints, he still wasn't happy. He had this feeling (more than likely based off of past experience) that Kirk was going to run into trouble. If anything happened to Rila he'd- heck, if anything happened to any of them- Kirk would defiantly be getting more than an earful later.

As if reading McCoy's uneasy, Spock stopped ahead of them pulling out his communicator. He flipped it open and waited for a response.

"Yes Commander?" came Kirk's voice from the other end. McCoy felt himself internally relax. Good, Kirk's team was fine.

"Just checking in Captain," Spock replied.

"We're fine Spock, nothing to worry about," Kirk's voice echoed out of the communicator once more.

"That is pleasing to hear to here Captain."

"Have you found any of the crew yet, Spock?" Kirk's voice asked.

"Not yet Captain," Spock answered.

Kirk let out an audible sigh and was about to reply when something interrupted him. An audible animalistic roar burst out through the communicator's speakers.

McCoy rushed over to Spock in alarm, "Jim, what the hell was that?"

Kirk didn't answer as he voice began to sound distance from the communicator, "Reed! Hold on I'm-"

His voice was drowned out by clattering, yells, screams and monstrous roars. Due to all the commotion it was hard to tell who yelled what.

"Move!"

"Reed no! Get off her!"

"Look out!"

"Get away! Get out of here now!"

"Not without you sir!"

There was something more undistinguishable about the rest of the yells then… silence. The group waited huddled around the communicator, just waiting for some clarification that all was well.

Spock eventually broke the silence, "Captain, are you alright?"

No answer.

"Damn it Jim, anybody say something!" McCoy cried in slight desperation down the communicator.

Still no answer.

The group exchanged worried glances with each other.

Spock quickly leapt into action as he turned to Scotty, "Mr Scott have you got a location on their communicators?"

"Aye sir," Scotty quickly pulled out a small data pad typing at it furiously.

"Then lead the way Mr Scott," Spock replied.

Scotty nodded as he hastily took the lead, glancing between the light of the small data pad and the dark hallway in front of him.

McCoy felt his body freeze over when they entered the room where the communicators signal was bleeping from. His eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks.

All the furniture in the room had been flipped over and tossed aside. Daylight poured in through a concerning large hole on the far outer wall. But that wasn't what turned McCoy's blood to ice. There was a concerning large amount of blood on the floor, some of it had splattered up the walls and over the furniture. He took a deep breath as he apprehensively entered the room further along with his crew mates.

"Connell!" Scully cried rushing over to his fellow officer. Connell was slumped down on the left wall. His head was angled down and a large blood pool surrounded him. His shirt had been torn open and he carried the same wounds as the previous man they had discovered. It was clear by looking at him that Connell was indeed dead. McCoy tried to settle his rising panic but he couldn't. Connell was dead. Kirk, Naomi and Rila had vanished. The panic had well indeed begun to settle in….


	4. First Away Mission Part 2

_Hi guys, still loving the continued support I had for this. I'd love to hear your opinions, so don't hesitate to drop a review! It would be much appreciated! _

_This one-shot is the second part to the previous one-shot. Just a reminder that is one-shot takes place not long after Naomi's is given a place on board the Enterprise as an inventor. This continuation in particular is Naomi's first official away mission with the crew of the Enterprise. Set some time before Jim/Naomi and Bones/Rila become established/confirmed couples. Also there might be a little more focus on Naomi rather than Rila in this chapter and the previous (tried to keep it as even as I could). _

_Again word of warning, there's going to be some injuries and a bit of bloody violence in this one. You have been warned! _

_I hope you enjoy this concluding chapter and keep favouriting/following! Thanks!_

**First Away Mission Part 2**

"Reed! Reed, can you hear me?"

"Is she okay Rila?"

"James I told you to keep pressure on that!"

"I am!"

"Clearly not, you're dripping blood all over my patient!"

Naomi felt like she was floating, barely drifting on the edge of reality. She could hear the voices but they sounded distant, almost muffled.

She heard a sigh then felt a hand cup around her cheek, "Reed it's me. Come on, just open your eyes."

Naomi suddenly dropped out of her weightlessness, hitting a wall of pain. Her head felt like it was splitting open in a sea of agony. She groaned in pain as she felt the voices become clearer, crisper.

"That's it. Come on; open your eyes for me Reed." Naomi recognised Kirk's gentle tone as she groaned again. She slowly opened her eyes to a swirling mess of unfocussed images.

"Rila she's coming around," she heard Kirk cry with relief.

She saw another unfocussed swirl move into her eye line. She groaned again, closing her eyes briefly.

"Come on Reed, that's it," Rila encouraged her.

"Ugh," Naomi let out another groan and opened her eyes once more. "For the record I've always preferred it when people call me Naomi," she let a small smile cross over her lips as Kirk and Rila came into full focus.

They were both leaned over her gazing down at her intently. The two of them smiled in sync as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Good to have you back Re-" Rila started then corrected herself, "Naomi."

Naomi smiled widely before she attempted to move her head, instantly regretting it. A wave of pain hit her, she gritted her teeth letting out a small scream.

"Careful there Naomi," Kirk assured her moving his thumb gently across her cheek. It was after the pain had passed Naomi noticed that despite the clear indication she was lying on the ground, her head was elevated. Her head was in fact resting in lap on a certain Captain James T Kirk, who currently still had his hand cupped around her cheek.

Naomi felt herself blush mildly on the revelation as she gazed up at Kirk for a moment.

Rila's voice grounded her back, "James is right Naomi. They hit you round the head pretty hard I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't got some kind of concussion."

They… Naomi tried to remember the past events but it became a miss matched blur. She sighed before she slowly began to push herself up, ignoring the pain that followed the movement.

"Steady," Kirk assured her as he placed his hands firmly on her back to help up into a sitting position. She took his advice as she eventually reached a sitting position, "Thanks Kirk."

Kirk smirked at her, "Look if you gonna insist I call you Naomi, I'm gonna have to insist you call me Jim."

Rila rolled her eyes.

Naomi felt herself smirk, "Alright… Jim."

Jim grinned widely at that as he moved his hands from her back, confident that she could stay sat up without his support.

Naomi blinked, fighting back the dizziness as she began to look around their surroundings. The three of them were situated in a small dark alcove of stone. The walls were made of stone and it was clear that they were in a tunnel of caves. Her hands brushed over the floor that was made up of dried glass, leaves and twigs. Was this a nest?

Her gaze fell back on Rila and Jim. Aside from a few visible bruises and cuts, Rila looked mostly unscathed. Whereas Jim was sporting a puffed up black bruise on his left eye and his right forearm had a deep cut that was bleeding heavily.

As if she had followed her gaze, Rila scowled, "I told you to keep pressure on that!"

Jim rolled his eyes as he quickly moved his left hand to cover the wound, "I am! See?"

Rila heaved out a sigh as she moved beside Jim, "Give me some of your shirt."

Jim frowned in confusion, "Wait what?"

"Oh for-" Rila rolled her eyes, "I need something to tie the wound up with and these dresses are short enough without ripping any more material off them!"

"Okay," Jim said, deciding not to argue with her as he ripped off some of the sleeve that wasn't covered in his own blood.

Rila took the bits of cloth from him without a word as she set to work. Pulling up his bloody sleeve, she began to wrap and knot the cloth tightly around the bleeding wound. Once she was finished she sat back, "There that should hold for a while."

"Thanks," Jim mumbled as he gazed down at makeshift bandage.

Naomi gazed at the two of them, "So what's the plan to get out of here?"

"Well we can't just walk out of here if that's what you're thinking," Rila replied.

Naomi frowned. Without saying a word Rila pointed to the entrance.

Naomi slowly scurried towards to the small alcove entrance, careful not to rattle her head around too much. When she was close enough she began to peer out into the cave tunnels.

Her eyes widened and it began to dawn on her how much danger they were actually in.

Stood a little way down the tunnel (which Naomi gathered was the only exit) was the very creature that the away team had been hoping to avoid. It reminded Naomi of a wild wolf type creature, but instead of being hunched on all fours it was stood up on its legs. The creature stood roughly seven foot in height, and its back appeared to be naturally hunched over. Its entire torso was buckled up with pure muscle. Their arms were packed with muscles and were much longer in length than any humans. Naomi's eyes widened further as they fell upon the huge claws that accompanied the long arms, they curled round like a scythes.

Naomi gulped, glad she hadn't experienced being on the other end of those claws. A sudden memory flashed into her mind at how those claws had torn into Connell's torso. She shuddered.

She slowly began her way back to Rila and Jim, "Considering we're still alive I'm guessing we're-"

"Bait," Rila finished her sentence.

Naomi muttered under her breath, "Great…"

She flopped back down beside them. If they just sat here and waited for a rescue party they would only endanger the rest of the crew. They had to get out and they had to get out now! Naomi gritted her teeth as she tried to think. She had gotten herself out of a variety of situations like this in past but granted back then it had been men with guns not seven foot wolf creatures who could rip you to pieces. She felt herself mentally curse. Her head was pounding in quick painful bursts making it hard to focus.

Jim watched her in slight concern as he saw the familiar signs of pain showing on her face again. He furrowed his brow as he pulled himself to his feet and crept towards the entrance. They needed a way out of here. He peered round just like Naomi had, this time making sure to thoroughly check the wolf creature was guarding the only exit. The creature was indeed guarding their only exit. He was left with only one idea to get them out, and he knew for a fact that no one was going to like it. 

"James I don't like it," Rila whispered as she crept behind her captain. Both her and Naomi were positioned behind Jim as they began to leave the safety of the alcove. Rila had instinctively placed a hand on Naomi's arm. Despite her instance that she was okay, Rila could spot the signs of dizziness.

Jim glanced back at her as if to say "Trust me". He had taken the lead, a large stone grasped in his hands. Jim Kirk's master plan was to sneak up, take out the guard or at least distract him so they could make a break for it. Rila hated this plan, but even she had to admit it was all they had. She tried to turn off all the possible disastrous ways this could go wrong out of her mind. But they still kept creeping in making her skin turn to stone.

Jim could feel his heart beating in his chest at a quicker pace than he'd like. He was certain that sooner or later he'd be heard by the creature in front of him, ripping him to shreds before moving onto Naomi and Rila. He shuddered. No, he needed to push those thoughts away. This was going to work.

He gazed at Rila and Naomi as they stopped behind him, giving them a small reassuring nod before beginning the rest of the way alone. He raised the large stone above his head as he crept up upon the creature. Goosebumps rose up on his arms as he got closer… closer… closer… closer…

The creature abruptly turned around almost as if it had known he was there all along. It bared its teeth and roared at Jim, about to attack.

Naomi's eyes widened as she was about to rush forward, "Jim!"

Not giving his brain chance to register the fear tearing through him, Jim reacted quickly. Taking the stone in his hand, he pushed the stone into the creature overstretched mouth. The creature cried out in muffled surprise as it took a step back from Jim.

Jim turned to Naomi and Rila, "Time to go!"

Rila didn't need telling twice as she began to run, dragging Naomi after her. They sprinted past Jim and down the tunnel.

Jim took one last look at the creature that had begun to howl in confusion at the sudden hard, wedged object in its mouth. He gulped then sprinted after Naomi and Rila.

Rila and Naomi sprinted side by side, pushed on by pure adrenaline. Naomi glanced over her shoulder searching for Jim.

"I'm right behind you Naomi," Jim cried as he sprinted behind them, "Now come on!"

Naomi felt a small smile of relief tug at her lips as she turned her attention back ahead as Rila continued to pull her along beside her.

Rila felt herself panic, they were coming up to an intersection and she could now hear the approaching howls of their pursers.

"Which way?" Rila cried through panting breaths.

Jim had been too busy glancing in fear over his shoulder to notice her question.

"James!" Rila almost screeched at him, "Which way?"

Jim turned abruptly, noticing the intersection ahead.

"Go left!" he called.

"Left, are you sure?" Rila cried back.

"I'm sure, now pick up the pace!" Jim yelled rallying up behind them.

Rila didn't need telling twice, she could already hear the roars getting closer. She picked up the pace, Naomi doing the same beside her as they raced down the left tunnel. Jim took another glance over his shoulder as the howls grew louder. He could feel the pure panic give him a sudden surge of energy as he raced on.

The race for their lives continued as they twisted and turned through the dark tunnels, propelled on as the howls continued to blast out behind them. Rila didn't even know if they were indeed going the right way. For a long time she had a rising fear that they weren't going to escape, that they were only delaying their inevitable demise.

"Rila look!" Naomi's panting voice cried out beside her.

Rila focused on the tunnel ahead of them and felt a sudden sense of relief.

"Daylight!" she cried out.

Directly ahead of them was a small hole of an entrance that led up to the surface of the planet. They were going to make it!

Tightening her grip on Naomi's arm, she pushed on towards the entrance.

She called over her shoulder, "James! Daylight!"

"I know I heard!" Jim panted, not far behind them.

Rila felt a small smile curl on her lips as she pressed on with Naomi. The howls behind them continued their sense of urgency.

When they eventually reached the entrance Rila skidded to a halt with Naomi. She gazed up, it truly was a hole to the surface. They were going to have to climb their way out.

"Don't just stand, go!" Jim cried out as he stopped behind them, urging them on as the howls began to get louder.

Rila glanced at Naomi and pulled her in front, "After you."

Naomi decided not to argue as Rila pushed her towards the hole. She squinted her eyes in fierce determination as she began to scramble up the uneven bank to the surface. Rila helped push her up some of the way, the rest was up to her. Pushed on by the rising panic in her friends, Naomi scrambled up with her nails and bared teeth. Heaving out an exasperated breath, Naomi pulled herself onto the ground outside. Her eyes squinted at the bright light hitting her face. Quickly pulling herself she sat beside the hole, ready to help the others out despite the blurriness threatening to overtake her vision.

Jim looked up at Naomi before turning to Rila, the urgency still present in his voice, "Okay Rila, you next."

Rila nodded as she allowed Jim to give her boost up the hill bank. Rila then began to climb quickly up the hill bank, stumbling slightly every now and again.

Naomi reached her hand down to Rila, who was still stumbling. Rila took her hand gratefully as Naomi pulled her up to the surface.

"Thanks," Rila mumbled at Naomi when she eventually reached the surface. Now it was Jim's turn and they needed to hurry. The howls of the creature below were getting increasingly closer.

"Jim come on!" Naomi called down to the man.

Jim nodded without a word as he began his climb. He climbed up with ease, not needing to rely on Naomi or Rila to pull him up. He had nearly reached the surface, just a few more steps…

Jim yelled out in pain as he slipped back the hill bank slightly.

"Jim!" Naomi cried out as she reached down taking his arm.

She tried to help pull him up but something was stopping her. She frowned in confusion, before she looked past Jim and her heart stopped.

One of the large creatures had dug their long claws into Jim's right leg, pulling him back down into the depths of the cave.

Rila must have followed Naomi's gaze too as she took Jim's other arm.

Jim cried out again as the creature dug its claws in deeper, trying to drag him back down.

Rila and Naomi clutched Jim's arms tightly as they pulled, beginning a tug of war with the creature over Jim.

"Hold on James, we've got you!" Rila cried out to Jim as she pulled.

Jim looked down at the creature trying to shake it off and kick out with his left leg to get it to release him. But the creature refused to let go as it dug its claws in deeper. Jim screeched out in pain as he continued to be pulled from both sides as the creature fought with Naomi and Rila.

The battle continued for a long time, to the point where Jim's entire right leg felt filled with nothing but pure pain.

Naomi had had enough. She reached out with one hand picking up a loose stone for the edge of the entrance.

"Back off!" she screeched as she hurled the stone at the creature head forcefully. The stone hit the creature square in the face, causing it to fall backwards and consequently release its death grip on Jim's leg.

Naomi and Rila took their chance as the pulled the Captain to safety.

Rila panted heavily as the three of them scurried back from the cave in heap of tangled limbs.

The three sat there for a moment, before a howl from inside the cave alerted them to the still very present danger.

"We've got to move," Jim cried through gritted teeth as Naomi and Rila moved to stand up.

He began to push himself up to try and stand, but as soon as he tried to put any weight on his right leg he felt a rush of pain. He bit his lip to suppress a scream.

"James you're not gonna be able to stand on that," Rila stated as she crouched down pulling Jim's left arm around the back of her neck. She glanced at Naomi, "Help me out here!"

Naomi didn't need a second prompt as she took Jim's other arm following Rila's actions. Together the two of them helped Jim to his feet, making sure he put no weight on his right leg. Jim felt himself grimace in pain as he unintentionally felt himself lean heavily on them. If they noticed they certainly didn't say anything.

"Let's try and lose them in the woodland," Naomi suggested. Rila nodded as the three of them made their way away from the cave entrance as quick as they could. Their speed was somewhat slowed due to lumbering along with an injured Jim, but again neither of them said anything.

They slipped into the trees and began to run for their lives once more. Angry howls could be heard behind them. The creatures had ventured out of their cave, giving chase once more. Naomi could feel her heart racing in her chest as they picked up the pace, half supporting half carrying Jim between them as they ran. 

The three of them stumbled through the woodland at a brisk pace, pushed on by the continuing howls and heavy footsteps behind them. Even when they did stumble, they recovered quickly running for their lives once more. Branches brushed past them in a blur, as they trudged on at impressive speed. Despite this Naomi couldn't help but wonder how long they could keep this up. Every step juddered her head sharply, causing her to blink furiously to put her vision back in focus. Even though he'd never admit it, Jim was beginning to tire increasing from the blood loss, his eye lids were starting to droop heavily. Rila was also beginning to tire as she worked her muscles into overdrive, her frame wasn't built for this kind of physical exertion.

Regardless they pushed on as they came to wide open clearing. The ground here was more uneven than the woodland floor, so they struggled as they attempted to scramble through. They were making incredible progress at such a fast speed, that Naomi felt confident that they'd were going to get away.

"Ahhh," Jim let out a sharp cry as his dangling, bloody right leg hit something hard causing him to topple. Naomi and Rila weren't fast enough to catch him as Jim collapsed down onto his knees.

"Jim!" Naomi cried out, his arm still draped around her neck as she halted beside him. His face was clenched up in agony and looked worryingly paler.

"Jim, are you okay?" Naomi questioned him, the panic clearing showing in her voice.

"Never better," Jim muttered through clenched teeth.

A group of howls echoed behind them.

Rila glanced at Jim and Naomi, whipping into action.

"Come on James, we've got to move!" Rila cried out as she began to tug on Jim's arm.

Naomi did the same as the two of them began to tug at Jim's arms to get him back on his feet (or foot) again. He didn't bug.

The howls echoed again, closer now.

"Jim come on! They're coming!" Naomi cried out in frustration.

"Then go," Jim looked up at them, "I'm only slowing you down."

"We can't just leave you here! They'll kill you!" Naomi exclaimed.

"But if we carry on like this, they'll catch us. The two of you stand a better chance on your own," Jim justified.

"If you stay put like that, then yes they will kill you and us. Now get up so we can go!" Rila snapped, her brow furrowed in determination and slight anger.

Still Jim refused to move.

"I order you-" Jim began.

"Don't you dare!" Rila yelled angrily, "Don't play that card!"

Naomi glanced at Jim, she could hear the howls continuing to get closer. Any minute now they would be emerging from the other side of the clearing.

She gulped, even if they did start moving again now it was already becoming too late. She unsteadily walked to the left slightly, bending down slowly to pick a long branch from the floor. Clenching the branch tightly in hands, she turned back the others.

"What are doing?" Rila asked her.

"Their coming through the clearing any second now and if we do try to escape they're going to catch us eventually," Naomi paused for a moment closing her eyes to block on the dizziness before opening them, a level of ferocity in her gaze.

"We've got no choice but the fight," Naomi stated far more confidently than she felt.

Jim looked at her in a level of disbelief and surprise.

"Hey if he's gonna refuse to move then we're just going to have to stay here and help him defend himself," Naomi eyed their surprised expressions.

Rila looked between the two of them. She finally began to understand why the two of them got on so well. They were both stubborn to the point she'd want to start tearing her hair out. Yet she couldn't dispute Naomi's suggestion. They were only delaying the inevitable, it was only a matter of time before they'd have to face the creatures head on.

Following Naomi's lead, Rila picked up two other large branches handing one to Jim before clutching hers tightly.

"Alright, but if this gets us killed-" Rila started

"Then you can kill me all over again," Naomi interrupted her with a smirk.

Jim couldn't help but smile to himself. While he would have preferred to allow the two of them to escape, he couldn't help but find their loyalty to him heart-warming.

Rila nodded in satisfaction as they faced the other side of the clearing. Jim was still on his knees as per instructed by Rila, that "he's not standing on that damn leg".

Naomi felt herself gulp as they waited in anticipation for the arrival of the creatures. 

The first creature burst from the woodland with ferocious velocity, charging towards them. Naomi stood her ground as she raised the branch above her head. She hoped she could take advantage of its overpowering rage to limit its accuracy.

The creature was directly in front of her now. Taking her chance, Naomi swung the branch with as much force as she could muster. The branch thwacked off the creature head as it tripped slightly. But that didn't delay it for long as it rushed towards Naomi once more. Naomi panicked bringing the branch in front of her for defence. The creature collided with the branch as she used it to keep the creature back. She pushed with all her might against the branch, but the creature continued to push back with equal amount of force. Gritting her teeth she cried out, "Rila can I get some help here?"

"A little busy here!" Rila snapped as she fought off her own attacker. She caught the creature square in the jaw, but that didn't seem to delay it for long. It snapped back around in fury, knocking Rila down hard onto her back. Rila found herself gasping for air as they oxygen left her lungs. Luckily she had just enough time to bring up the branch, blocking the creature's bared teeth and unleashed claws. Teeth and claws dug into the branch as the creature yowled trying to bite out at Rila but the branch blocked its way. Rila found herself holding the branch high above to stop the creature from reaching her neck. She gasped and fumbled, feeling her strength draining with every exasperated bite the creature attempted. This was it. She was going to die. Any second now her strength would give in and the creature would sink its teeth into her neck. She cast a brief glance at Naomi who had knocked managed to knock out one of the creatures and was stood in front of Jim fighting off another one that was trying to go for the injured captain. Jim looked worse, a hell of lot worse. He paled more so than before and his eyes were mostly closed. Rila mentally cursed she hadn't been able to pull up that nasty leg wound. The pure drainage of blood was significantly weakening him. He was trying to help Naomi but he could barely move, let alone waving a branch to fend of the creature. Naomi on the other hand, was on her feet defending her captain. The branch was clenched firmly in her hand as she fought off the creature. But even Rila could notice the hesitation and pure clumsiness in her swings. Her concussion was already an issue but now it was becoming a problem.

Rila took a deep breath as she turned back to the creature above her. Her arms eventually gave the branch dropping uselessly to her side. Her eyes stared up in horror as the creature stared her down. She could have sworn it slyly smirk at her in content at its helpless prey. Rila watched as the creature opened its mouth wide, baring its white fangs. The fangs began to close in on her. Her eyes widened in pure fear. She froze for a moment before she instinctively turned her head away and closing her eyes. This was it. She was resided to her fate. This was the end. She waited for the pain to hit her, then for the bitter end of death. 

But it didn't come. No matter how long she remained with her eyes closed it didn't come. Something felt different. Had her mind somehow skipped over the pain and she was now dead? Taking her chances Rila slowly opened her eyes. She found her blinking as the bright artificial light booming into her eyes. Was she dead? As the setting began to come into true focus, her question was answered. She felt herself smile widely as she pulled herself up into a sitting. Her, Naomi and Jim was situated safely on the pads in transporter room of the Enterprise. The soft buzz of the room's consoles grounded Rila into a sense of security. It would appear that the crew had come to their aid just in the nick of time.

Naomi felt herself release a long deep breath she didn't realise she been holding, when her feet touched the secure floor of the transporter pad. The branch quickly becoming a stick of support as the after effects of the transporter caused another bout of dizziness. She turned around to glance at Rila, smiling at her. Rila returned the smile. The two of them turned to Jim and their expressions changed to that of pure concern.

He looked very close to blacking out. His face was contorted in pain and his right leg was continuing to bleed heavily.

"Shit," Rila mumbled under her breath as she scrambled over to him. She placed a gently hand on his back.

"James," she said.

"I'm- fine," he stammered out, the pain and exhaustion clear in his voice.

"The hell you are!" came a gruff voice.

The two of them looked up just as Leonard McCoy entered, in all his "pissed off but I'm still concerned" glory. Spock was right beside him, along with a couple of medical staff including Nurse Chapel.

Naomi felt herself smile widely upon seeing them, part of her down there had wondered if she ever would again. She knew McCoy was just waiting to give them an earful (especially Jim), but his concern was outweighing his anger right now.

"The Doctor is right Captain," Spock added as he gazed at Jim with an equal amount of concern.

Rila glanced at Jim, looking at his bleeding leg.

"Looks like they might have caught an artery," Rila stated to McCoy as she gazed up him.

McCoy nodded as he rushed over, scanner in hand, "Certainly looks that way."

He knelt down beside Jim, doing at quick scan with a frown before taking Jim's left arm and draping it over his shoulders.

"Spock give me hand," McCoy frowned up at the Vulcan. Spock didn't need telling twice as the two of them lifted Jim between them carrying him to med bay. McCoy called over his shoulder, "Chapel, you and Adam get Reed to med bay before she passes out. Looks like she's got a concussion. Make sure Rila gets herself checked out too."

Rila pulled a face, almost tempted to place her hands on her hips, "Am I not trusted to check up and tend to my own injuries?"

"No, because you'll be too interested in patching these two idiots up before you let anyone even go near you with a scanner!" McCoy answered not even looking at her as both him and Spock left the transporter room.

Rila shook her head as she followed after them. Adam (everyone referred to him by his first name, he was a fresh graduate from the academy) and Chapel weren't far behind as they gently helped Naomi towards med bay, her dizziness had gotten worse and she was struggling to stay on her feet. The group left the transporter room together. 

"Oww," Naomi grumbled under her breath as she gently rubbed her temples, there was a thin bandage around her head where the previous bleeding wound had been. Despite the pain killers she had been given it still continued to thump with pain. She was propped up in one of the med bay's beds. McCoy had insist she get some rest like the sleeping Captain (well more like passed out) in the bed opposite her. Despite various medical staff reassuring her he was going to be fine, she still found herself glancing over every now and again.

"Stop being such an infant Reed and get some rest. After our little adventure I'm sure you're going to need it," Rila stated, she had a small plaster on her face covering up a cut and a variety of thin bandages covered a range of minor injuries to her body. Ever since they'd gotten back on board, Rila had fallen back into addressing her by her surname. Naomi just guessed it was some kind of formality and let it slide. She may have preferred her first name but Reed was better than some of the ridiculous nicknames her late mother had given her.

Rila had taken some convincing to peel herself away from attempting to assist with tending to her injured crewmates.

"Like I can actually get to sleep with what feels like drills ramming into my skull," Naomi answered.

"I could always-"

"If you gonna suggest a sedative again, I swear I will stick it where the sun don't shine!" Naomi snapped, the pain in her head making her irritable.

"Wow and here was me thinking we were shaping the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Rila added with a slight sarcasm in her tone.

"Friendship? Wow that exhaustion must finally be getting to you," Naomi smirked.

Rila let out a laugh. Naomi had to admit she was a little taken by surprise, but her expression soon softened as she begun to laugh too.

"If you've got time to stand around laughing, you've got time to go and get some rest," McCoy frowned at Rila. Since they had arrived back he seemed to be getting more and more irritated. Naomi knew he only had their best interests at heart and was only angry because he cared (like he'd ever admit it). He'd been urging Rila to go and get some rest for the past hour or so. Rila hadn't exactly disagreed but she had stayed in the med bay longer than he'd hoped.

Rila rolled her eyes, "Give me a moment Leonard."

"You said the same thing an hour ago," McCoy replied, not even gazing at her as he proceeded to look over some readings.

'_Probably Jim's,' _Naomi thought.

Rila scowled turning back to Naomi.

Naomi noticed the annoyance in Rila's gaze and instead of making a snide comment she decided to change the subject. "I think I might have a theory," Naomi stated.

It had been something she mulling over it for some time, while also attempting to sneakily watch Jim's progress from across the room. She had been thinking about it for a while, ever since she'd gotten a look at the interior of the 'crashed' ship.

"Theory?" Rila asked puzzled, unsure what Naomi was getting at.

"About that distressed crew," Naomi replied.

Rila nodded as the light bulb suddenly clicked on.

"Well when we went inside their ship it looked kind of familiar…." Naomi started.

"Familiar? Did you know them?"

"No not exactly. More like people like them."

Rila raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying they were thieves?"

"Thieves, smugglers, you name it. Like you said many of them drift on the edges of federation space. Some of them are decent people or at least decent to their crews. They probably were after something on the planet, then well…" Naomi trailed off.

"They stomped all over those creatures territory and they turned hostile," Rila finished.

Naomi nodded ever so slightly before, "They probably wouldn't have called at all if it wasn't for those creatures. They really were in danger, and well… we were too late to save them."

"Don't beat yourself up about that Reed, we all weren't prepared for what was down there," Rila stated.

"I know, I know," Naomi mumbled.

The two of them fell into silence for a few minutes.

"Right I better go, before grumpy over there drags me back to my quarters," Rila said as she briefly pointed back at McCoy.

Naomi felt a wide smile spread on her face as she spotted McCoy look up at Rila with a scowl.

"You better get some rest too or I will come back with sedative," Rila pointed a finger sharply at Naomi.

"Okay, okay," Naomi said as she closed her eyes, "Happy?"

"Yes," she heard Rila say before Rila's footsteps met her ears.

Naomi cracked open her eyes slightly as her gaze followed Rila. Rila was about to leave before McCoy gently caught her arm. She didn't hear what the two of them said to each other but she noticed an unusually tenderness in McCoy's gaze. She knew the two of them were close but… was there more to it than that? Her suspicions seem to be almost confirmed as McCoy placed a hand on Rila's cheek.

Naomi quickly looked away. The two of them clearly thought no one was around to see them. She then turned her gaze back to seeing Rila leaving and McCoy gazing after her. Once Rila was out of sight, McCoy moved and sat down at his desk with a sigh. Naomi raised an eyebrow, hoping everything was alright and McCoy was just sighing due to the eventful day. Choosing to keep what she saw to herself, Naomi closed her eyes. She blocked out the pain as she drifted off into a deep sleep.


	5. Nightmare

_Hey everyone, been a few weeks since I last updated. Activity on this will really depend on my work load from college, so you may have to wait sometime between updates. Just thought I'd give you all a heads up! Thanks again so far for the favourites and follows, it's much appreciated! I'd really love to hear your thoughts on the series so far, and constructive criticism is always welcome (please be polite about it). _

_Okay in terms of this one-shot, it's almost just a cute little hurt/comfort fluff piece between Jim and Naomi. That means no Bones in this chapter (sorry guys), although Rila makes a little cameo ;) This one takes place not that long after the last two part one-shot. Hope you enjoy! And remember to keep favouriting/following the story if you like what you read! And please don't hesitate to leave a review, it would highly be appreciated! _

**Nightmare**

Jim strode almost silently along the twisting corridors. He had a valid reason for his quiet movements. It was late and many of the crew had retired for the evening. He himself had only just be relieved of duty. Even he had to admit he was thankful, trying to stifle yawn had become more and more difficult in that last hour. There was a certain air about the ship at this late hour that he liked. The lack of crew wandering through the corridors added for a quieter and calmer atmosphere. This allowed for the quiet hums of the Enterprise to be heard clearly. It was relaxing to say the least. While he couldn't deny in any manner how much he found some enjoyment in the thrills each day possibly presented, he still liked some kind of calm in his daily routine.

He made sure each evening to walk the same route through the ship, despite said route taking him longer. This particular route always led Jim past many of the ships main working rooms and even the Med bay, but that wasn't why he took it. The route led him past the lab and living quarters of the one and only, Naomi Reed. He made a point of stopping by every evening if he could. Jim had never revealed this fact to anyone, however a certain Dr Rila Kirza had managed to take notice. 

_She stayed late in the Med bay on more than a few occasions. When Jim Kirk had come striding past the door every evening, well it sparked her curiosity. One evening she'd had enough of sitting there and raising an eyebrow (very much in McCoy fashion), so she followed him. Luckily Jim had been too lost in his own thoughts to notice her sneaking behind him. Well not until it was too late. _

"_So this is what brings you down here every evening?" Rila Kirza asked, her arms folded across her small frame. _

_Jim froze just outside Naomi's door and turned to face Rila. He was too taken by surprise to reply. _

_Rila felt herself smirk, "My my James if I didn't know any better I'd say fallen for this girl." _

_Jim's eyes widened in alarm as he felt his cheeks begin to burn crimson. "What? No!" he stammered out. _

_Rila's eyebrows raised in revelation, "James don't tell me…"_

"_Tell you what? There's nothing to tell!" Jim snapped defensively as his face began to burn brighter. _

_Rila let a smile curl onto her lips, "Wow James, you've not just got a thing for her…" Rila paused as Jim shuffled uncomfortably, "You're in love with her, aren't you?" _

"_What? No…. it's not like that…" Jim mumbled. _

"_Then what is it like?" Rila questioned. _

_He was caught off guard for a moment before he stammered out, "I thought she just deserved some kindness after everything's that happened." _

_Rila nodded slowly, "Right and you expect me to believe you only seeing her out of pity?" _

"_No that's not what I meant," Jim answered frowning. _

"_You're going to really have to get your story straight if you want me to believe you," Rila stated. _

_Jim grumbled as he furrowed his brow in annoyance. It seemed Rila was enjoying putting him on the spot. Rila let out a small deep breath as she let Jim squirm for a moment. She then turned, "Look story or no story the truth is clear on your face, James. You're in love with her and I think it's time you're honest with yourself about that." _

_With that Rila left Jim pondering with her closing statement as she headed back to Med bay. _

As Jim continued down the corridor on this particular evening he couldn't help but hear Rila's words echo in his head.

"_You're in love with her and I think it's time you're honest with yourself about that."_

Every time he tried to think of a reason why he found himself at Naomi's door every evening he couldn't. His thoughts went fuzzy when he thought of her. Her brown eyes, her ruffled locks of brown hair, the way the soot lingered on her nose and cheeks. Those mere associations with her always brought a smile to his face. Was Rila right? Was he really in love with Naomi Reed?

Jim shook his head clearing the questions. He just had to focus on his destination. He wondered if she was still up. Most nights Naomi chose to stay up till the early hours of the morning working. However sometimes all the lights would be turned off and the door would be locked. If that was the case Jim would just past and leave her to rest. It would appear this would be one of those nights. As Jim slowed down his pace he noticed the absence of light under the door frame. The glowing red of the panel next to the door indicated it was locked. Naomi had turned in for the night. Scurrying past the door, Jim tried to bury his disappointed. He was about to pick up is pace once more, casting one more brief look at Naomi's door as he went. That's when he froze in his tracks. 

An ear splitting scream met his ears, turning his blood to ice. That scream… Naomi!

Leaping into action, Jim rushed to Naomi's door. He banged on the door hard, "Naomi! Naomi, are you alright?"

No reply. He began to panic. All sorts of scenarios played through his head, varying from a potential intruder to some of Naomi's tech backfiring at a highly dangerous level. While he hadn't heard an explosion he didn't rule it out. He punched in an override code for the locked door (being captain of the ship did have its benefits). As soon as the door was unlocked he rushed inside. 

Jim was met with pitch black as he strode into the room. It didn't help when the door zoomed shut behind him, submerging him further in the darkness.

"Naomi?" he almost whispered in uncertainty.

His question was met with a faint whimper. He frowned, was that Naomi? Not being able to stand the darkness any longer, Jim spoke softly, "Lights twenty-five per-cent."

The lights sparked into life casting a dull glow. When Jim's eyes had finally adjusted his gaze was drawn to the far back of the room. This particular area was where Naomi slept. It was integrated into her lab providing her with almost oversized living quarters. Jim's gaze scanned this area before it rested on Naomi's small bed.

Naomi was sat upright in her bed, but that wasn't what drew Jim's full attention. She was panting heavily and hadn't even noticed he'd entered the room.

Taking a deep breath he began to approach her. As he got closer his concern began to grow. She was shaking wildly, her skin had turned a ghostly pale and fresh tears lingered on her face. Something was very wrong.

"Naomi?" he asked gently as he slowly approached. Again she didn't take any notice as her wide gaze was fixed ahead of her.

He gulped when he was within inches of her bed. "Naomi," he whispered as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Naomi instantly jumped up crawling and shying away from Jim, almost like she was expecting him to attack.

He raised his hands in front of him in reassurance, "Relax, it's only me."

Naomi finally met Jim's gaze and her body instantly became less tense, "Jim."

Jim gazed down at her. He'd never seen her like this before. Granted he'd seen her grieve when she lost her mother, but only at the initial lose. If she had continued grieving, which Jim presumed she had given the love and admiration Naomi had for her dead family, she'd kept it to herself. Naomi wasn't the type to showcase her fear and tears in front of anyone; she was very reserved about that kind of thing (at least for as long as he'd known her). But right now, she was cowering in front of him and he'd never seen her looking so fragile.

Jim really wasn't good with this kind of thing, he knew she wasn't okay but he was at a loss for words as to how he could improve the situation for her. The only question that sprang to mind was the most obvious he could have asked, "Are you okay?"

"What?" Naomi blinked at him, a few left over tears spilling out from her eyes.

"I heard a scream and well…" Jim started as he gazed down at her uneasily, "You're shaking Naomi…."

"Errmm…" Naomi mumbled unsure what to say. It was too late to compose herself in front of the captain, and she suddenly felt embarrassed and vulnerable. However, she suddenly felt a sense of relief at his presence.

Jim bit his lip in decision, before settling down to sit beside her on the bed. Naomi tried to look away but he caught her gaze again.

"What's going on Naomi?" he began still with a gentle tone in his voice, "You're really pale. Are you sick or something? Should I go get Rila?"

"No!" Naomi snapped defensively. She instantly regretted it as she saw the look of surprise mixed with hurt on Jim's face.

"Sorry," Naomi muttered, "Look it's nothing like that…"

She fell silent looking into her own lap, unsure what to say. Jim watched her intently, making a quick rash decision. Despite his own heart pounding in his chest he placed his hand firmly but gently on Naomi's knee. Ignoring the backflips his stomach did he began to address her once more, "Then what is it like?"

Naomi looked up at him, losing herself in his blue eyes for a moment before looking away again. She didn't answer his question.

Jim tried to hide his slight frustration and instead kept up his concern. "Sorry it's not my place to intrude…" he trailed off taking his hand away from her knee.

Naomi gazed back up at him, noticing his blue gaze had drifted away from her. She stayed staring at him for some time before she finally felt herself give in.

"You shouldn't be sorry, I should be… for worrying you…" she muttered.

Jim's blue gaze drifted towards her once more and their eyes locked. He noticed a few fresh tears slip down her face. He began to imagine himself lifting a hand to her face and wiping them away.

"That's okay," Jim reassured, instinctively placing his hand on her knee once more without a second thought.

Naomi normally would have felt her whole body screaming in delight at Jim's touch, but not this night. She was too afraid to take much notice.

"Still I owe you an explanation…"

Jim watched her expectantly still keeping his gentleness. There was a tone in her voice that made him realise that she was about to reveal something she'd normally have kept to herself. It made him finally see that after everything, he'd actually succeed in gaining her trust.

"You see Jim, I suffer from nightmares," Naomi began to explain, "They come and go, but sometimes they leave me…" Naomi paused gazing down at her shaking hands, "Well like this."

Jim sat in silence with her for a moment before asking, "How long have you had them?"

"Since I was a kid, they started properly when I was about ten… after my dad and brother died," Naomi answered, looking down sadly.

Jim nodded as he watched her take in a sharp shaky breath before continuing.

"Artemis recons that was what started it and well… any traumas that I end up experiencing trigger them," Naomi concluded, her gaze falling back up to Jim.

"Like losing your mother," Jim stated rather than asking.

Naomi nodded, looking away from Jim. The two of them were then plunged into silence again.

"Thanks for telling me about this Naomi, I understand it's not an easy thing to admit," Jim gave her knee a gentle squeeze and for the first time since he showed up Naomi felt her stomach become a nest of butterflies.

Naomi gazed up at Jim giving him a small smile which he returned.

"It's not really anything to worry about. I've dealt with them most my life, it isn't like this is anything new," Naomi reassured him as she felt the colour beginning to return to her body in a slightly red fashion.

"Alright," Jim nodded as he made to stand.

Naomi quickly reached out, grabbing his arm. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Despite that… erm Jim could I ask you something?" Naomi gazed at him with wide tear stained eyes.

Jim settled back down into to sitting position beside her, "Ask away."

"Could you stay?"

Jim frowned in confusion.

"Could you stay here with me tonight? I…. I don't want to be alone…" Naomi mumbled, looking more vulnerable than Jim had ever thought possible. His heart crumbled into pieces as he gazed at her.

"Of course," he found himself saying instantly.

Naomi wide eyes softened, "Thank you."

Jim nodded, smiling at her. He gazed at the bed. It was only a small single bed, which meant that no matter how they positioned themselves they'd still be in touching distance. He tried to hide his blush as he stood up.

"I hope you don't mind, I can't exactly sleep in my uniform," Jim turned to Naomi, tugging at his gold command shirt.

Naomi shook her head as she looked up at him. Jim gave a small nod before he pulled off his gold shirt. Naomi began to try to drift her gaze away from Jim as he stripped down to a black vest and his briefs. Her face had turned as red as a strawberry when he eventually turned back to her. If he noticed he didn't say anything. Moving slowly Jim sat down on the edge of Naomi's bed with slight uncertainty. Naomi's attempts at keeping her gaze averted failed as she gave in letting her eyes dance over the areas of Jim's exposed flesh. Her eyes drifted for a moment from Jim's shoulders down his bare arms and stopped at his hips. She didn't get any further as she quickly darted her gaze away, becoming even redder than her already strawberry features (if that was possible). When she turned her gaze back she spotted Jim staring at her intently. Luckily he hadn't noticed her travelling gaze, instead he was looking at Naomi's hands. Following his gaze, Naomi felt herself mental curse. Her hands were still trembling like leaves in the wind, the fear from the nightmares was still present in her system. What happened next took her by strong surprise. Jim's arm curled around her as he pulled her close. He couldn't stand it any longer. That longing to pull the afraid woman close to him, letting her know it was okay, letting her know she was safe.

Naomi's past embarrassment lingered for a moment before it completely disintegrated. Her emotion tumbled out as she buried her face in Jim's chest, letting loose the sobs she'd been holding back. Jim felt his body strangely become less tense when Naomi's unleashed her emotions. Every one of her sorrowful cries juddered through his own torso. He raised his free hand and began to run his fingers through her tangled hair. He kept his gentleness as Naomi began to cry. He felt his black vest begin to become soaked by her tears, but he didn't care. Gentle whispered reassurances filled her ears as he continued to hold her close. Her sobs slowly over time began to slow down and become less audible until there was nothing. Jim took this as his chance as he moved his head away from hers. Gazing down at her, he let a small smile cross over his lips. Naomi still had her head nuzzled against his chest, her eyes were shut tight and her breathing was at a relaxed pace. She had fallen asleep.

Jim decided to leave her at peace as he curled his arms around her, watching her gently.

"_Even when she's fast asleep she looks beautiful," _he found himself thinking. His face than suddenly went blank. Did he really just think that? Now of all times?

He mentally cursed as he felt himself blush. His mind brushed back to Rila's words.

"_You're in love with her and I think it's time you're honest with yourself about that." _

It began to dawn of him. Rila's words were certainly ringing true or at least some truth. Lying here right now, he began to truly realise that he had a lot of deep affection for her. Maybe Rila had been right. Maybe he really was in love with Naomi Reed.


	6. A Bond Called Friendship

_Hey guys. It's been a while since I've update, sorry to leave you waiting. _

_I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter and the contents. Anyway I hope you enjoy it regardless. This one will mainly attempt to focus of Naomi and Rila's growing friendship. This should take place not long after the previous entry. Anyway enjoy and please feel free to review. I'd love some opinions on this series. Thanks! _

**A Bond Called Friendship**

The deep freezing cold was the first thing she remembered. The shock of the sudden submergence into the frozen depths threatened to sink her deeper into its grasp. The next thing she remembered was the damp and wet water working its way through her clothing, right to her skin. For a moment, her body just sank frozen in shock as death reached for her ankles taking her down and down…

Adrenaline sparked in Naomi's body just in the nick of time. She kicked and scrawled her limbs through the chilling depths, fighting for the surface. She needed air. She couldn't breathe. She needed air now!

Her limbs suddenly began to move faster. Focussing on a spot of sunlight she fought against the clutches of the water. Her lungs were beginning to burn. She needed air.

With one last final push, Naomi broke the surface. Coughing and spluttering Naomi bobbed on the surface of the once frozen river. Pieces of ice still drifted around her, reminding Naomi that she needed to get out of here soon or she was most certainly going to freeze to death. She began to swim forward quickly then came to a sudden halt. Where was Rila? Rila Kirza, who a moment ago had been by her side on the land, was nowhere in sight.

"Rila," her first cry was hoarse and deeply struggled to leave her throat. Once Naomi felt her vocals warm up properly again she yelled, "Rila!"

Her head darted around as her arms and legs scrambled in a synchronised motion to keep her a float. She searched in desperate but came up with nothing.

Her body cried at her to get out the water, to get out of it now! But she refused. She had to find Rila.

"Rila!" Naomi cried out, the desperation clear in her voice. Still there was no response to her cries. Deciding to expand her search Naomi began to swim out, eyes darting at every angle. With each breathe and movement she continued to call out "Rila!"

Each movement became increasingly more difficult as her limbs stiffened and the coldness threatened to take her for good. Despite this, she fought on, not wavering as she searched desperately for the doctor. Her heart pounded quickly in her chest and her continued search came up with no results. Panic and pure fear had well and truly sunk in now. A brief image of how she'd have to break the tragic loss to Jim and McCoy drifted into her mind. She shook her head, shaking the morbid thought from her mind. It was in that moment that something in the not so far distance caught her eye.

"Rila!" Naomi gasped in a mixture of surprise and relief. Rila Kirza's arms were resting on the edge of a piece of drifting ice. Only the very top of her head could be seen but it was enough to propel Naomi on.

Naomi made marathon time to Rila's position. Once the distance between them had closed she felt her heart sink. Rila's skin had turned a ghostly pale and her eyes were closed. Actually when Naomi looked closer, there appeared to be no sign of life at all. Trying her best not to panic, Naomi looped her right arm around Rila pulling her close. She then paddled fiercely for land. Her struggle to stay afloat had become even more difficult with the added weight of a limp Rila. Naomi had to gasp and splutter wildly as ice water entered her mouth, freezing her insides.

'_Come on Naomi, nearly there,' _Naomi thought to herself as she pushed through the water. Her limbs cried out in protest as she carried on pushing the two of them through the waves.

It came as a huge relief when they hit the snowy bank and Naomi literally heaved the two of them out of the water.

She lay on her front in the snow for a moment, shivering and aching all over. The snowy cold atmosphere didn't help ease her chill, it made it worse as she continued to shiver. Shaking her head violently, Naomi refused to surrender to the freezing temperatures. Pushing herself up onto her knees, she crawled over to the still pale form of Rila.

Even though Naomi had hulled her to land, she still hadn't moved.

"Rila?" Naomi asked gently, her voice quiet and feeble. She gently shook the woman for good measure, but still nothing.

Taking a deep, shaky, teeth chattering breath Naomi placed two fingers to her neck. Her heart stopped for a moment as she quickly tried repositioning her fingers a few times, but the result was still the same. No pulse.

Springing into action, Naomi pulled open Rila's over-jacket and began probably one of the only first pieces of first aid she really knew. Interlocking her hands, she placed them on Rila's chest and began the initial first compressions. She was part way through the fourth compression when Rila moved beneath her. Naomi instantly moved her hands away as Rila coughed violently, water spilling down her cheeks. Knowing that the last thing they needed was the water entering Rila's lungs again, she pulled her up into a sitting position. She rubbed Rila's back as she continued to cough the water out of her lungs.

Once her lungs were clear Rila slowly moved up, still in a slight daze. She frowned at Naomi and mumbled, "Reed?"

A smile lit up across Naomi's face and before Rila could say anymore Naomi had pulled her into a gentle but tight embrace. Rila went from dazed to sudden surprise as Naomi buried her face in her shoulder.

"I thought I'd lost you," Naomi muttered as she continued to hold Rila close. While normally Rila would have remained stiffened, she felt herself relax (a privilege she only truly gave to those she held dear). She had to admit she was grateful for the embrace, partly for the kindness it projected to her, partly just for the general body heat that she provided her with.

"Reed," Rila mumbled eventually, her gaze seemed more focussed now and oddly soft. She gently pushed the happy inventor away from her. Naomi took the hint and pulled away but a small smile was still present on her lips.

Rila gazed at her for a moment, piecing together what had happened before the big dark gap in her memory. It had been Naomi who had brought them down here in the first place. Something had sparked Naomi to slip out of her lab and sneak to the transporter room along with Artemis. Rila hadn't been able to get the details out of them when she had followed behind. Rila had protested greatly when she learnt that Naomi planned to beam down to the surface alone down to the planet's surface, while Artemis remained in the transporter room waiting for communication from Naomi to beam her up again. Naomi and Artemis had managed to clear the room of staff before proceeding with their plan. At first her protests were to get Naomi to stop the insane mystery mission but Naomi hadn't exactly made it easy for her. This resulted in Rila accompanying her instead. While it would have been simpler to just knock out the inventor, Rila unfortunately didn't have the man-power or the sedatives on her to do so. Plus when she had tried to grab the attention of other staff by the transporter room Naomi had silenced her and dragged her onto the transporter pad. So had begun the two's reluctant quest to the snowy planet below.

Rila had tried getting some kind of explanation out of Naomi, she evaded an answer. Instead Naomi had proceed to reassure the doctor that they'd be back on the Enterprise before anyone noticed them missing (as it an empty transporter room with one single android in wouldn't attract attention).

Once they had reached the surface, Naomi began leading them through the snow hill landscape on the planet. Rila had trudged after her with a frown of pure annoyance on her face. It was on one of these particular hills where everything went wrong.

A sudden jolt of the earth under their feet was the first thing to alert them to an oncoming danger. The next was the overflowing levels of snow, rolling down the mountain towards them. Naomi had called out a simple "Run!", before the two of them waddled quickly through the deep snow as humanly possible.

Rila didn't really remember much after that, aside from the sudden shock of the cold depths of the water as she had begun her struggle for air. She gazed down at her open overcoat with some confusion, and then it dawned on her. Naomi must have pulled it open to administer first aid after dragging her to the shore. Naomi Reed had saved her life.

"Naomi," Rila mumbled, pausing for a moment as she looked at Naomi in stunned surprise.

Naomi gazed up at her meeting her gaze.

"You—you saved my life?" Rila statement ended almost like a question as the uncertainty entered her voice.

"Of course I did," Naomi answered quickly as if the mere idea of another option was impossible to her.

Rila gaze widened at her and she stammered out, "You- you did that for me? Why would you do that for me?"

A quick flash of what Rila could only describe as hurt entered Naomi's eyes. Rila felt a pang of guilt; it hadn't been her intention to offend her.

"Yes I did that for you," Naomi eventually answered, the hurt now gone from her gaze and replaced with warmth, "Why do you think I wouldn't?"

Rila began to answer "I thought-" but she didn't know how to continue her sentence.

"Rila just because we had a bit of a… 'disagreement' over this little expedition…" Naomi started.

Rila felt herself mentally scoff, _'Disagreement my arse!'_

"It doesn't change my reasons," Naomi continued, she then moved her hand placing it on Rila's shoulder. Rila tensed quickly at the gesture gazing at Naomi with uncertainty.

"You're my friend Rila, there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you," Naomi said as if she was simply stating the weather outside.

Rila froze. The term 'friend' Rila didn't really associate herself be referred to as very often. It wasn't that she didn't want friends, it was just that Rila didn't really showcase a soft side to many people. She often wore a very professional mask with her crew mates and didn't really see herself as anyone's friend. Baring Captain James T Kirk, who had been almost like an older brother to her since they were small children, and Doctor Leonard McCoy, who had broken down her walls managing to open up a softer side to her.

Now sat before her, Naomi Reed, the very woman who had saved her life, was calling her a friend. Rila wasn't sure how to react. True the two of them had spent some significant time together, more so due to Naomi's clumsy mishaps, but were they really friends?

Rila thought back to the moments they had shared together. They had eaten together, made conversation when Rila was patching Naomi up and even laughed together. A strange sense of what Rila could only describe as happiness bubbled up inside her. Naomi was in fact Rila's friend and despite her annoyance at being stuck on this frozen planet, she was actually somewhat glad to have the inventor by her side.

Rila was suddenly alerted to their still present life-threatening situation as her body went from mild shivering to a quick jolt of a violent shiver that didn't forebode well. She looked at Naomi who was also continuing to shiver. Their soaked clothing wasn't exactly aiding their situation, but they couldn't exactly change to something drier and warmer. For one they didn't have any clothes to change into and two the temperature was far too cold for them to risk exposing much flesh.

Rila didn't mean to hurt Naomi further but they were in danger and conversation could wait, "We need to get warm soon or we're going to start hitting hypothermia."

Naomi nodded, hiding her hurt at Rila's quick dismal of her declaration of friendship. After all even she had to agree the danger of freezing to death was a bit more of a priority. Moving her hand away from Rila's shoulder she wrapped her arms round herself, quickly become fully aware of the freezing temperatures. Rila followed suit as she zipped her jacket back up. Despite it being soaked it still provided her with some kind of warmth. She then proceeded to shakily get to her feet, Naomi doing the same.

"Maybe if we start moving we'll warm up a bit," Naomi suggested. Rila nodded, a little exhausted to voice a reply. The two of them began to continue to trudge their way through the snow. Rila tucked her arms around herself, trying to calm down her insane level of shivering. She quickly glanced at Naomi who was also continuing to shiver as they trudged through the snow.

Naomi's face was a picture of someone lost in deep thought. When she looked around the snowy landscape before her she was completely thrown. Thanks to their little dive in the river Naomi now had no idea where they were or even which direction her destination was in.

Rila noticed this and asked simply, "What is it?"

Naomi let out a sigh through gritted teeth, "I think we're lost…"

Rila furrowed her brow as turned her gaze away, "Fantastic…"

Naomi pulled one of her arms away from her body as she unzipped the jacket pocket. Rooting around inside the pocket, she pulled out her communicator. She hoped the insulated pocket had protected in from the water and temperature. Flipping it open she took her chance.

"Artemis its Naomi," she raised her voice slightly, as a strong gust of freezing wind swept past them. Her attempt at communication with her beloved android was met with an unhealthy sounding static.

"Artemis!" Naomi tried raising her voice louder but again just static.

"Shit!" Naomi grumbled as she threw the communicator back into her pocket.

"I take it coms are down?" Rila raised an eyebrow at her.

"What was your first clue!?" Naomi snapped before trudging on ahead. Rila stopped in her tracks for a moment gazing after her as Naomi radiated with rage. She sighed before making large strides to catch up.

The two continued to trudge aimless through the snow in silence. At times Rila had wanted to ask if wandering around blindly would really help with their 'lost in the freezing wilderness' problem. But she had chosen to remain quiet as Naomi seemed to be gathering in frustration by the minute. The last thing she needed was to have that bomb explode in her face. While the exercise brought some welcoming heat to her body, Rila knew they couldn't last like this much longer. Her body was already becoming sick with fatigue, and while Naomi hadn't mentioned anything Rila could see the signs as clear as day on her face. Rila would give anything now to be curled up in a nice warm bed (possibly with a certain handsome doctor beside her) and sleep for a century. Heck if she could she'd curl up and sleep right here and right now. But that would only ensure her demise. However she couldn't deny that they needed to stop and rest to conserve some energy or they'd risk collapse in the snow where death would surely claim them. It wasn't the only alarming factor that had been brought to Rila's attention. The wind was slowly picking up as the minutes passed and the sky was becoming a sea of clouds. A storm was brewing and if they wanted to survive they needed to find shelter.

Refusing to remain silent any longer Rila called out, "Naomi!"

Naomi stopped in time with Rila turning to face her.

"We need to find shelter and soon," she pointed up at the brewing storm clouds, "A storm's coming and if we stay out here when it hits… well let's just say we certainly won't be seeing the Enterprise."

Naomi's rage and frustration soon bubbled away. She nodded, "Alright, we better hurry if we want to miss this storm."

Rila nodded her response as the two of them began moving again. This time they strode with purpose as they began their search for shelter.

The freezing cold winds had begun to pick up greatly after the two had searched for what felt like an hour. Said winds had begun to whip up the snow, causing them to cover their mouths and squint their eyes to navigate through the white wilderness. The storm was well and truly beginning. Rila had to plant her feet deeper in the snow with each step to keep herself from being blown away by the winds. She had to keep casting quick glances at Naomi to make sure she was still there. It was hard to tell where anything was in this bleak weather. The urgency to find shelter was becoming more and more apparent with each passing moment.

"Naomi do you see anything?!" Rila called out, trying her best to not let any snow enter her already numb and trembling body.

"No nothing!" Naomi called back. Despite the two of them being right next to each other it was the only way they could hear each other over the howling wind.

"Wait!" Naomi placed her hand out in front of Rila as she stopped. Rila halted as instructed as she frowned at Naomi.

"Look over there!" Naomi pointed off to their right. Rila followed the direction of her hand and spotted what Naomi had discovered. Set into one of the hillsides was what appeared to be a small cavern that would provide them with the shelter they needed. Naomi and Rila exchanged glances before setting their sights on their destination and beginning to trudge through the snow once more.

Naomi let out a deep, long, shaky and misty breath of relief as they entered the cave. She was glad to finally be out those blustering winds. Rila followed after her, glancing around the cave. Feeling far too sick and exhausted to bare another minute of standing, she quickly moved from the entrance. Picking a spot at the back of the cavern she slid down the wall, curling herself up into a protective ball as she shivered.

Naomi watched her with a certain level of concern. That ghostly pale look was present on her face once more and she was shivering violently.

"Rila," Naomi begun catching Rila's attention as she looked up, "You really don't look so good… are you okay?"

Rila furrowed her brow as if to say _'Are you really asking that question?' _

Naomi sighed, "Right stupid question…"

The two went into silence for a moment before Rila looked up her once more.

"You don't look so good yourself Naomi…" Rila started as she gazed at her with a deep level of concern Naomi hadn't seen in her gaze before. She had to admit she was a little thrown.

"Hey I wasn't the one who drowned. I'm fine just cold," Naomi replied, brushing off her concern.

Rila shook her head, "Naomi you were in that water for the same amount of time as me, and you're bound to be feeling the effects…. Besides your lips have turned blue…"

"What?" Naomi's gaze widened as she touched her gloved fingers to her lips, "They have?"

Rila nodded as she gazed at her.

Naomi furrowed her brow, that was another sure fire sign she was on her way to hypothermia. She rolled her eyes in frustration. Great, if they survive this McCoy was defiantly going to give her one hell of an earful. Rila must have thought the same as she shuffled over slightly and patted the floor next to her.

Naomi frowned with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, "Wow. Is Rila Kirza really the first one suggesting we huddle for warmth?"

Rila rolled her eyes, "Please don't pull a James, Naomi! I swear you two are far too alike for your own good…"

"Wait really? Me and Jim are alike?" Naomi asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Yes you are! Anyway is that really the pressing issue here?" Rila almost snapped as she patted the floor impatiently beside her.

"I guess not," Naomi mumbled. She took the hint as she walked over, sitting down beside Rila.

"So… erm…" Naomi began as she gazed at Rila uneasily.

Rila looked at her, the same kind of uneasy at their close proximity present in her gaze.

"So how do we do this?" Naomi asked, shuffling her legs up to her chest copying Rila's position.

Rila took a deep breath as she pushed herself over to Naomi so their sides were touching. She then moved her head resting it on Naomi's shoulder.

"Something like this I suppose," Rila mumbled trying to unease the tension out of her body.

Unlike Rila, Naomi began to relax as she twisted her body closer to Rila. She finished her twitching as she rested her head on top of Rila's head. Rila froze for a moment as Naomi nuzzled her head on top of hers. After a few moments Rila felt herself relax, the warmth of Naomi next to her pulling her into a sense of safety. She let out a deep breath, as she felt her eyes lids become heavy. She only needed to close her eyes for a moment, it'd be fine right? Of course it would be fine. It would just be for a second…

Naomi stared out at the storm in silence, her body becoming more numb by the second. Her thoughts drifted to the Enterprise and the crew who were becoming very dear to her indeed. Even if she wasn't so sure if they thought the same about her, Naomi still cared for them. They had treated her with kindness, but given her criminal history Naomi really didn't know if she had earned their trust. They had been the reason she had come down here in the first place. She couldn't simply rely on them taking her word, instead she'd chosen action. Before she could allow her mind to wander any further Naomi turned her gaze back to Rila. For the second time that day Naomi felt her heart stop. Rila's skin had turned even paler since the last time she looked, her lips a pure blue now and if it wasn't for the every so often small mist coming out her mouth she wouldn't be able to tell she was breathing. Naomi tried to move her arm to shake the doctor gently, but her limbs felt frozen in place. It would seem Rila was right, the cold had had more of an effect on her than she first thought.

"Rila," Naomi mumbled, her vocals chords being the only muscles she could use. They were going to freeze to death. This was it. They were dead.

Rila didn't answer her.

"Please Rila wake up," Naomi muttered trying to keep the despair out of her voice as she felt her own eyelids struggling to stay open. They couldn't die like this. Not here.

"Rila, please- please wake up," Naomi whimpered as she continued her fight for consciousness.

Still Rila didn't reply.

"Please Rila don't leave me here, not like this…." Naomi trailed off as her vision blurred completely. The minutes that passed afterwards proceed with Naomi blinking half closed, blurred eyes at the world around her. She didn't know how long this went on for, but her hearing was beginning to tell her the storm had begun to calm down. Her vision continued to blur, each eye opening movement becoming slower and slower.

Her ears perked up when she heard voices but the rest of her body remained in a frozen stasis.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"This is where the signal is coming from, they're down here somewhere!"

"You better be right Jim."

"Of course I'm right."

Naomi then heard footsteps as her eyelids nearly slid all the way shut, leaving her with only a slit of blurred vision.

"Captain!"

"Spock! Did you find something?"

"I believe I've found the source of the signal."

The footsteps became louder as someone entered the cave.

"Naomi! Rila!" Naomi recognised the voice of James T Kirk anywhere. She felt herself mentally smile as she thought _'They're here Rila. They're here to take us home.'_

Jim Kirk hadn't been best pleased when he had heard about Naomi's little off worldly adventures. Especially when a concerned Artemis had brought the news to his attention when she had lost communication with not only Naomi but Rila too. Despite his anger he believed Naomi had her reasons and kept the whole situation on a need to know basis. He hadn't been planning to explore the surface for another day but he leapt into action when he learnt of the danger. Knowing Naomi and her knack for getting into trouble (that McCoy had often compared to Jim's similar knack for the same thing) he had decided to take both his chief medical and first officer with him to the surface once the storm had passed. It would appear he'd been right in bringing McCoy with him when Spock brought to his attention the small cavern.

When he found Naomi and Rila curled up at the back looking like death, he was immediately drawn to their side.

"Naomi, Rila. It's me, it's Jim. Can you hear me?" he tried to keep the panic out of his voice. His panic begun to escalate once he placed his hands on their bodies. They were trembling and soaked to the bone. He gulped as he turned his head calling over his shoulder, "Bones! I need you in here now!"

"I'm coming as fast as-" McCoy started to grumble before he fell silent when he entered the cave. He stalled for a moment, before he strode inside with new found speed.

He stopped when he reached Naomi and Rila. He crouched down, virtually pushing Jim aside to get to his patients. Falling into medical mode, he opened up his medical bag. He'd packed all the essentials he could think of to treat any freezing weather related aliments but he hadn't been truly prepared for this. He knew just by gazing at the two of them that their bodies were beginning to shut down, if they didn't act fast they would lose them. Every second counted.

He pulled out his scanner, proceeding with an initial scan. Their pulses were weak and continuing to spark at dangerously low levels.

He handed the scanner to Jim, "Keep an eye on their pulses any changes you tell me, got it?"

Jim nodded, taking the scanner from McCoy not needing any further instruction.

McCoy turned back to his patients, making note of their damp clothing. No wonder their vitals had dropped so damn low so quickly! He needed to get them out of that damn clothing, or at least for now their large overcoats.

Quickly turning his attention to the Vulcan behind him, he barked an order, "Spock I need a hand here. We need to get them out of their damp coats."

Spock nodded, "Of course Doctor," before kneeling down beside him. Between the two of them they managed to pry Naomi and Rila apart before gently unzipping and removing their coats. McCoy then urged Spock to put the two of them close together again to conserve the body heat the two of them were still sharing. Once Naomi and Rila were side by side again, McCoy proceeded to wrap them in layers of emergency blankets he had packed in his medical bag. He paused for a moment his eyes drifting across the two of them. Their chalky features were keeping him on the edge. He needed to get them back to Enterprise. He needed them safe.

"Bones," Jim's cry pulled him out of his brief thoughts. McCoy quickly turned his attention to the young Captain.

"Naomi's pulse, it's starting to spark up again," Jim informed McCoy handing him the scanner to look at. McCoy took the scanner and frowned.

"Her pulse is building up too quick..." he grumbled as he pushed the scanner back into Jim's hands. Pushing himself closer to Naomi he placed his fingers on her neck. Her pulse was beginning to race underneath his fingertips. While he would have been happy that Naomi's pulse was finally no longer weak, the quickened and uneven pace worried him. He cast his gaze up at Naomi's face and for the first time since he arrived at their sides he noticed her eyes were still ever so slightly open. She must be still conscious. Dipping his hand back into the bag he pulled out a small light.

"Naomi. Can you hear me?" he asked as he pulled her eyelids open shining the light inside to get a better look. Naomi let out a groan under her breath, the bright light becoming a slight discomfort to her. Naomi wasn't only conscious but she was fully aware of what was happening judging by how quickly her pupils contracted at the sudden change in light. Jim glanced up when he heard Naomi groan, frowning.

"Come on Naomi, that's it," McCoy gently tapped her face trying to urge her to open her eyes. Naomi groaned again, recoiling away slightly.

"Is she conscious?" Jim asked, glancing between Naomi and the scanner still in his hand.

"She is to some extent," McCoy answered Jim before turning back to his patient, "Come on Naomi, some me those perky brown eyes of yours."

"Eugh," Naomi groaned as she opened her eyes a few fractions. She was met with double vision and blurred out figures but she instantly recognised them.

"You- you fo-und us," she muttered a small smile of relief turning up the corners of her lips. She groaned again her eyes nearly slipping all the way shut, "Head—warm—why- warm-"she grumbled under her breath in discomfort.

McCoy frowned then turned his hand over placing the back of his hand on Naomi's forehead. Her head felt like the beginnings of boiling pot of water. She was burning up.

"Shit," McCoy almost cried out loudly.

Jim raised his eyebrows up in concern, "What is it?"

"She's running a fever," McCoy mumbled then raised his voice up to a more audible level, "We need to get them out of here and up to the ship now."

Jim nodded in understanding passing the scanner back to McCoy who fiercely threw it back in the bag along with the rest of his equipment. McCoy then proceeded to move Naomi and Rila apart, as much as Rila needed the heat from Naomi it would be easier to carry them out of the cavern separately. It was only because Jim was closer and he wanted to save as much time as possible, that he urged the Captain to carry Rila. Jim complied, lifting up the small woman with a high level of gentleness. He then followed after Spock out of the cavern. McCoy scooped Naomi up in his own arms before following after them. As soon as he had stepped outside to meet Jim and Spock, McCoy was greeted with the all too familiar swirling lights around him. Naomi wriggled in his arms slightly, she felt the heat of the swirling lights and smiled. _'We're going home Rila'. _

"Ugh," Naomi groaned raising a hand to her face. Her head was swirling all over the place and it was a sensation Naomi had become a little unsettlingly familiar with. Naomi battled against the darkness of her mind as she forced her eyes open. She blinked rapidly as the bright lights entered her eyes. The familiar smell of sterile bed sheets and bleeping machines grounded Naomi into a sense of security. When her vision finally adjusted Naomi began to glance around. She certainly was lying in the Enterprise's med bay just like she had pictured. Drifting her gaze further, she fell upon the bed next to her. Rila Kirza was lying there in a state of pure comfort. Her long hair was spread out like butterfly's wings across the pillows and her chest rose and fell in a steady motion. Naomi let out a small breath of relief. She was going to be okay. Naomi closed her eyes once more smiling. They were safe. They were home.

She opened her eyes once more as she heard a raised voice. Glancing over Naomi spotted McCoy with his back to her, stood over by his desk. He was leaned over his terminal, speaking into the coms unit.

"What did you except? Of course they're gonna ask questions, do expect them to just sit there and not wonder what the hell is going on?" Naomi heard McCoy snap down the com unit.

She pushed herself up quietly to listen more to their conversation, waiting.

"No of course not, I just…" Jim's voice rattled over the com unit.

"Just you thought you could shy Reed away from scrutiny and suspicion? I hate to tell you this but she brought on herself when she decided to sneak off the ship in the first place!"

Naomi froze, remembering that despite their current safety Naomi didn't know how long that would last for her. She thought of Jim, the Captain who had befriended her and thought of the look of disappointment that would be present in his gaze when she next met him. The mere thought of it shattered her heart and turned her stomach into a pit of guilt. It hadn't been her intention to betray his trust, but she felt as if she had been left with little choice.

"You think I don't know that!" Jim practically yelled down the coms, the hurt and anger clearly present in his voice.

Naomi gulped, the guilt creeping up her spine.

McCoy remained silent for a moment before Jim continued.

"Look just let me know when she's healthy and ready to talk. Right now I need to get some answers and the only conscious person I can talk to is Artemis."

"You think she's really going to tell you what is going on?"

"It's worth a try."

Naomi mentally cursed, she needed to get to Artemis before Jim did. If she didn't provide Artemis with the go ahead to come clean, that would just further their guilt and land them in deeper trouble. Slowly, making sure not to catch the attention of the Chief Medical officer as he continued his conversation, Naomi slipped her legs over the edge of the bed. She then carefully yanked the IV drip out of her hand and pulled the pulse monitors off her chest. Keeping her eyes fixed on McCoy, Naomi shakily got to her feet. Quickly, Naomi reached her hand back to steady herself. She felt dizzy and sick. Ignoring the feelings, she crouched down and proceeded to make her way towards the med-bay exit.

She scouted around the various equipment and furniture in the med-bay making sure she stayed out of sight. Glancing around she noticed McCoy must be the only one present in the med-bay. She presumed she must have been out for most of the day. Luckily the Enterprise was still safe. She still had her chance. She watched McCoy closely, with every moment she made towards the door. If he turned around now he would surely spot the empty bed and find her in no time. She held her breath as she silently darted across the med-bay making it to the right side of McCoy's desk. To her advantage, he was too engrossed in his discussion with Jim to even notice. Naomi peered up at the doctor, they were within inches of each other now. She waited there with baited breath. She was beginning to debate whether to make a mad dash for the door, when her ears perked once more.

"Captain," Naomi heard the voice of Nyota Uhura seep through the coms unit.

"Yes Lieutenant?" Jim answered his voice slightly distant now. Naomi pictured him swivelling round in his command chair to face her.

"Sir, we're being hailed," Uhura's voice seeped through the coms once more.

Hailed? Naomi's body turned to stone. No, no she couldn't be too late. Could she?

"Hailed?" McCoy questioned, "There's no ships out here! Who the hell could be hailing us?"

"I don't know Bones, just keep an eye on Reed and Kirza, and I'll keep you posted," with that Jim closed the com unit before McCoy could reply.

McCoy let out a disgruntled sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. Naomi took her chance, darting for the door quickly before McCoy had chance to open his eyes again. Once she made it into the corridor, Naomi had to hold onto the wall to prevent herself from slipping under again. Focussing her vision and letting out a small grunt she pushed off, sprinting down the corridor in an uneven line. Determination was in her gaze, she had to get to the bridge.

McCoy frowned, opening his eyes quickly. He could have sworn he'd just heard something… like soft scuttling. He paused for a moment, the frown still present on his brow. He then shrugged and turned, it was time to check up on his patients. It was once he had turned around that he found himself swearing loudly and then running out the med-bay after his missing patient.

"On screen Lieutenant," Jim said to Uhura before swirling back to front of the ship. He waited with baited breath as he listened to Uhura tapping away at her station. The next thing that happened, well took him by surprise.

"Stop! Uhura no!" Naomi leapt out of the turbo-lift, not even bothering to ask permission to enter the bridge. She ran to Uhura's station, throwing her hands down stopping the startled Communications officer.

"Reed, wha-" Uhura started, looking up at the women stood next to her. Naomi was dressed in a white hospital gown, her brown hair was ruffled and she was panting hard.

"Don't open the coms! She can't see who you are, she can't!" Naomi interrupted Uhura, shouting loudly.

"Naomi, what the hell are you doing?" Jim stepped up from his command chair, turning to her and demanding an answer.

Naomi looked towards him and for the first time since she had entered the bridge, she noticed everyone was staring at her.

She gulped and meet Jim's gaze. His expression was unreadable, which to her was unusual. She could normally gather Jim's mood by his posture and expression, but the gaze he was giving her now unnerved her.

"Jim, you have to listen to me," Naomi began.

"Listen to you?" Jim's expression changed, the anger now present in his features.

Naomi swallowed her words for a moment, the Captain before her looked ready to explode.

"Reed!" Naomi's attention was drawn back to another arrival on the Bridge.

McCoy was panting and his brow was furrowed in annoyance. "Reed, you shouldn't be up here," McCoy cried, "Now come on I'm taking you back to med-bay."

McCoy placed his hand on Naomi's shoulder. She shook him off instantly, refusing to move.

"Reed you're in no fit state to be running around the ship, now come on!" McCoy was more persistent this time.

Naomi ignored him, "Jim listen to me, you cannot answer that hail!"

"And why not Ms Reed?" Spock asked, seemingly generally curious.

"Because she'll blast you out of the sky," Naomi replied.

Jim frowned.

"Listen, maybe if I talk to her I can work something out that doesn't involve… conflict," Naomi continued.

Jim paused for a moment, looking at her puzzled. He could see the urgency and alarm in her gaze as well as the clouding weakness. Shaking his head he gave in, "Alright… but this is your only and last chance."

Naomi nodded, before she moved her hands away from Uhura's station. She then walked down the steps to the front of the bridge, stopping in front of the main screen.

Jim gave Uhura a small nod before walking down to stand a little way behind Naomi. Uhura responded to the nod by bringing up the hail on the front screen.

They were greeted by a face all too familiar to Naomi. Her once blonde hair was fading now to a crispy white. Her face looked young but experienced and her green eyes held firm with Naomi's brown.

"Well, well, well what do we have here?" she sneered gazing at Naomi in amusement.

"Minty," Naomi nodded her head at the woman.

"It's been a long time," Minty smiled smugly as she leaned back in her chair. Her green eyes fixed on Naomi briefly, before they began to dance over the rest on the bridge her stare becoming increasing colder.

"So you've decided to team up with the Federation have you? Wow… and here was me thinking you couldn't fall any lower," Minty almost growled, her gaze turning murderous.

"Look Minty, let's just cut to the chase. I know you've got enough fire power on that planet to rip this whole ship apart… but you need to remember one simple reason why you can't," Naomi answered sharply. She sounded far more confident and stronger than she actually felt.

"Yeah, and what's that girly?" Minty asked, a smirk on her face.

"You owe me," Naomi stated.

Minty's smirk faded and she frowned almost in annoyance, "That may be true girly… but one slight problem with your little plan."

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"That deal only cuts it with you and that little android of yours, not your young strapping crew mates here," Minty moved her hand across the bridge crew as if she was introducing a group to a stage.

"What?" Naomi cried. She should have seen it coming, Minty was always a tough one to bargain with. Even more so given her hatred for the Federation.

"I saved your neck! You owe big time Minty!" Naomi snapped in frustration.

Minty scoffed, "Like I said before, I owe 'you' not your like law-abiding friends here. Now I'm willing to be reasonable here. I'll give you chance to pack you and your android up and outta there before I blast this ship to high hell."

"And if I refuse?" Naomi dared to ask.

"Well then I guess I'm going to have to break my streak of holding onto debts," Minty answered slyly.

Naomi almost growled. She had to think, she needed a plan. She had to offer Minty something, something big in return for sparing the Enterprise. She puzzled it over.

'_Come on Naomi think! There has to be something you can offer her!'_

Minty's face broke into a smirk, she seemed to be enjoying making Naomi and the rest of the bridge crew squirm. She chuckled for a moment, causing Naomi to frown.

"Alright girly, here's the thing," Minty spoke up once more, "You've caught me in a very generous mood. I'm willing to spare this ship."

Naomi felt a small smile of relief begin to curl on her lips.

"However I have one condition," Minty rose a finger in front of her face.

"And what is that?" Jim spoke up for the first time since Minty appeared.

Minty turned her gaze to Jim, that amusement from earlier present in her eyes, "Well Captain that condition involves you."

Jim raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"You will owe me a favour," Minty grinned at Jim.

"A favour? What would this favour involve?" Jim asked, his brow furrowed in a mixture of worry and intrigue.

"Honestly I can't say right now. But when the time comes you'll know," Minty replied. She paused then continued, "That's my only offer where you fly out of here Captain. You either take it or I blast you out of the sky. Your call."

Jim grimaced in uncertainty. He couldn't really leave himself indebted to a criminal, however he couldn't really risk the potential that this Minty may destroy his ship and kill his crew.

"Captain."

Jim turned back to his first officer, Spock.

"I wouldn't recommend leaving ourselves indebted to a criminal," Spock stated, gazing at Jim.

Jim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment.

"However," Spock continued, leaving Jim raising an eyebrow, "If there is any truth in the scale and nature of her threat, we may not be left with much choice."

"Wow Commander, are you really recommending that we leave ourselves indebted to a criminal?" Jim raised his eyebrow in surprise. Each day he began to get more and more of a reminder of how much his dancing around the rules actions were brushing off on his first officer. While Spock still tended to stick to the rules and logic in most of his decisions, he begun to show that on occasion he was willing to bend the rules.

"It is just merely a suggestion if the threat is believable," Spock replied.

Jim frowned and turned to look at Naomi just as she began to turn back to them. Their eyes meet and Jim felt the familiar pang in his stomach that he always had when he looked at her. Despite his anger and frustration with her, he finally began to understand why Naomi had disappeared in the first place. She must have been heading down to Minty, knowing full well of her hatred of the Federation and planned to make a negotiation on the Enterprise's behalf. Jim was still angry and a little betrayed by her deception, but he found himself understanding why. Just by looking in her eyes, he knew how real the threat was. This left him with only one decision.

Turning his gaze back to Minty, he nodded, "Alright. You've got yourself a deal."

Minty clapped her hands together in triumph, "That is excellent news Captain." She paused and smiled, "Well then, I'll be in touch."

With that the hailed was ended and a silent sigh of relief breezed through the bridge. McCoy furrowed at Jim, ready to speak his mind when he was alerted back to his patient.

After the ordeal was over Naomi felt her strength leave her. Her knees buckled and she had to slam her hand down hard on the console behind her to stop herself from falling. She mumbled an apology to the startled Chekov, and blinked as she tried to regain both her vision and her strength.

"Reed," McCoy grumbled as he rushed down to her, Jim following in his wake. The two of them wrapped each of her arms around the back of their necks, before she could even protest. They then proceeded to carry her to the turbo-lift. If had taken all strength to stay upright during her talk with Minty, but now that strength was gone. They entered the turbo-lift and began the journey back to med-bay.

"Jim," Naomi mumbled turning to gaze at him.

Jim turned to gaze at her, "Naomi, look we'll talk about all this later when you're feeling better. Okay?"

Despite the anger that was still present in his voice, his gaze was gentle. She found herself nodding as she allowed McCoy and Jim to gentle carry her without protest back to med-bay.

Naomi felt herself looking at her bare feet. She was sat upright in one of the med-bay beds, still dressed in a white medical and feeling a little woozy. She had not long awoken for a long 12 hour rest and it had only been a mere few minutes since Jim had left. Their talk had been a lot calmer than Naomi had expected. Not once did Jim raise his voice at her. He had clearly expressed his anger and concern at her impulsive and careless decision. He had suspended her from any away mission for two months and merely given her a warning to inform him if anything like this cropped up again. Naomi couldn't deny she'd gotten off easy. But it was Jim's last words that still lingered in her mind.

"_Naomi, you need to stop treating this like you and Artemis are a two man army against the world._ _You're part of a team now, a family." _

A family? She never thought of the crew like that before. I mean she cared about them, sure. But she had never thought she even deserved a family again. She remained sat there in silence, until a voice pulled her out.

"Naomi."

Naomi looked up, meeting the gaze of Rila Kirza. Her long hair was flowing down her back and her face was full of healthy colour once more.

"Rila," Naomi found herself smiling up at the thin doctor, who began to perch herself down on the edge of Naomi's bed.

"How are feeling?" Naomi asked her.

"Better," Rila paused gazing at Naomi, "A lot better than you by the looks of it."

Naomi shrugged.

"I heard what James said to you… and well as rare as it is, I must say I agree with him," Rila continued.

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"You have to remember now Naomi. You are part of team and that means we all pitch in, not dashing off on our own adventures."

Naomi looked down at her feet once more. If Rila was here to give her another lecture, she really didn't need it.

"Look Naomi," Rila gently placed her hand on her shoulder, "I'm not here to give you another lecture. I'm here… to thank you."

Naomi looked up at her puzzled, "Thank me? I thought you were still pissed that I dragged you down there in the first place…"

"Oh believe me I am and you will know about it very soon," Rila smirked then her gaze turned serious, "Look Naomi. You saved my life and… I wanted to thank you for that."

Naomi remained looking puzzled then broke into a smile, "You're very welcome."

Rila nodded also smiling, "Hmm it's funny, every time I thought about coming over here I was ready to snap. But when I actually got here, it just seemed to disappear…. I guess we must have a bond of some kind."

"A bond? What kind of bond?" Naomi found herself smirking.

"I think it's a bond that some would call friendship," Rila found herself saying with a smile. Despite the smirking, Rila meant every word. Naomi Reed was her friend and she'd been damned if she continued to deny that.


End file.
